Cultural Anthropology An Applied Perspective, 5e

1. Cultural AnthropologyAn Applied Perspective, 5e Gary Ferraro

2. Chapter OneWhat Is Anthropology?

3. Chapter Outline • Physical Anthropology • Archaeology • Anthropological Linguistics • Cultural Anthropology • Emic Versus Etic Approaches • Contributions of Anthropology

4. Branches of Anthropology: Physical Anthropology • Paleontology • Primatology • Human variation • Forensic Anthropology • Applied Physical Anthropology

5. Branches of Anthropology: Archaeology • Historical archaeology • Prehistoric archaeology • Contract archaeology • Applied archaeology

6. Branches of Anthropology: Anthropological Linguistics • Historical linguistics • Descriptive linguistics • Ethnolinguistics • Sociolinguistics • Applied linguistics

7. Branches of Anthropology: Cultural Anthropology • Economic anthropology • Psychological anthropology • Educational anthropology • Medical anthropology • Urban anthropology • Political anthropology • Applied cultural anthropology

8. Physical Anthropology • Study of humans from a biological perspective. • Areas of investigation: • Paleoanthropology - emergence of humans and how humans have evolved. • Human variation - how and why the physical traits of human populations vary.

9. Primatology • Study of anatomy and social behavior of nonhuman primate species: gorillas, baboons, and chimpanzees. • Effort to learn about human evolution by studying contemporary nonhuman primates in similar environments. • Tool-making skills found among chimpanzees in Tanzania help explain human strategies for adapting to the environment.

10. Archaeology • Study the people from the past by excavating and analyzing the material culture they leave behind: • Artifacts can be removed from the site and taken to the laboratory for further analysis. Examples: tools, arrowheads. • Features cannot be readily carried away from the site. Examples: house foundations and fireplaces. • Ecofacts are found in the natural environment and were used by humans.Examples: bones, seeds, and wood.

11. Archaeologists • Historic archaeologists: • Reconstruct the cultures of people who used writing and about whom historical documents have been written. • Prehistoric archaeologists: • Study the human record of cultures that existed before the development of writing.

12. Anthropological Linguistics • Historical linguistics • Study of emergence of language and how specific languages have diverged over time. • Descriptive linguistics • Study of sound systems, grammatical systems, and the meanings attached to words in specific languages.

13. Anthropological Linguistics • Ethnolinguistics • Study the relationship between language and culture. • Sociolinguistics • Study the relationship between language and social relations.

14. Responding to Unfamiliar Cultures • Ethnocentrically • Responding from the context of one’s own cultural perspective. • Cultural relativist • Responding within the context of the other culture.

15. Limits of Cultural Relativism • If every society is unique and can only be evaluated in terms of its own standards, cross-cultural comparison is virtually impossible. • There is no behavior found in the world that could be considered immoral if the people who practice it consider it acceptable or if it functions for the well-being of the society.

16. Value of Anthropology • Individual • The study of different cultures provides a better understanding of one’s own culture and develops valuable leadership skills. • Societal • Understanding different cultures can contribute to the solution of pressing societal problems.