Anthropology: Science
devoted to the study of human
beings and their lifestyles
Social Sciences
Geography
History
Economy
Psychology
Sociology
Demography
Population Growth
Anthropological sub-disciplines
Physical anthropology:
Studies fossils and
disctintive features
Archaeology: Study of
material remains of past
cultures
Anthropological linguistics:
Studies diversity of
languages, tries to
reconstruct them
Cultural anthropology:
Analysis of cultures of
human groups
Key concepts through History
Enculturation:
Learning process
of a culture
Acculturation:
Exchange of
cultural
features
Society: Group of people
who live according to a
behaviour to fullfil a
purpose
Ethnocentrism: Judging
other cultures using own
standards
State: Political unit with
independent goverment,
centralized organization
Otherness: Notion of the
other as interpersonal
phenomenon. Helps to create
own identity
Man: Being with opposable
thumbs, intelligence,
articulated speech
Family
Nuclear family: Parents
and children, regardless
of external factors
Extended family:
Besides nuclear, all
relatives
Exogamous marriage:
Marrying outside the
individuals with which one is
related
Monogamy: Exclusive
couple (male and
female)
Polygamy: Relationships
with a variable number of
partners
Polyandry: One
female with several
husbands
Polygyny: One male
with several wives
Cultural ecology
Anthropological Theories
Historical particularism:
Emphasizes particular
aspects of singular
cultures. No savage
cultures
Functionalism: Describes
functions of customs and
institutions for the sociey studied
Culture and personality: Links cultural
practices and beliefs of the individual to
personality
Neoevolutionism: Existence of a
cultural revolution. Amount of
energy put into execution
French structuralism: Explain
origin of differences and alikes of
a culture
Evolutionist school: History of
human societies has
developed progressively and
continously
Diffusionism: Cultures
adopted their elements by
imitation
Ethnography: Study that makes an extensive
description of all aspects of everyday's life of a
culture
Life history
Pictures and videos
Semi-structured interview
Participant observation
Focus group
Testimony
Documents
Field diary
Fieldwork: Obtaining the
desired information by
interacting with the
subject of study
Areas of application
Education
Urban and Business anthropology
Medicine
Culture: Traditions and lifestyles acquired by
the members of a society
Emic: Local meanings. Discovering
the local views, beliefs and
perspectives
Etic: Outsider perspective, emphasizes
explanations and categories of
observer
Magic: Idea that there
are hidden powers in
nature
Myth: Stories that
try to recreate the
origin of cultures
Religion: God is the
essence of this belief,
concept of soul
Sacred
Profane
Types of Cults
Individualist
Shamanist
Community
Ecclesiastical
Stages of Anthropology
Description of other cultures and
reflection on the transformation
of their practices
Search of scientific laws of
evolution of societies and
their institutions
Search for scientific laws of the
functioning of species, from
divergent approaches
Conclusion
Troughout this course, I have learned several things. When I heard the word "Anthropology", I
always thought about it as something related to fossils and prehistoric civilizations, but no more. I
was very wrong. I found out that anthropology is a very important social science, because it allows
us not just to know historical data, but also to understand and interpret the behaviour of our past
cultures, learn what they were thinking, and why things happened just the way they were.
I have also learned that anthropology and its concepts can be widely applied in our daily life, because most of the
problems that we face each day, can be analyzed using anthropological techniques that are specially designed for
each task, and make the data collection be easier. All the information that was gathered while doing these
investigations can be later published or be put to disposition of people, in order to be able to know and also to be
conscious about the things that happen here and know, and in certain cases, to do something about it.