Introduction to Anthropology

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Introduction to Anthropology

• Ms. Hernandez
• Period 2

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Human Evolution Timeline

• 2.5 million years ago
• First man (Homohabilis) used stone tools
• 2 million years ago
• Humans control fire
• 1.7 million years ago
• Appearing in Asia and South East Asia (1st major
  migration) (Homoerectus- 5 feet tall)
• .5 million years ago
• Entering Europe (adapting to colder weather)

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Human Evolution Timeline

• 200,00 years ago
• Homo sapiens in Europe adapt to modern man
• 100,000
• Homo sapiens spread overtaking Homo erectus
• 50,000
• Homo sapiens in Europe start having cultural
  changes overtake physical. (complex use of
  symbols/ language)
• 15,000
• Homo sapiens in North America

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Human Evolution Timeline

• 10,000
• earliest records of farming changing from
  scavengers to producers (settlements begin)
• 6,000
• writing/ city-states/ pyramids kings
• 3,000
• iron resources used, nation like
• 2,000
• Roman and Chinese Empire

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What is Anthropology?
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Anthropology

• Systematic way of understanding the human
  experience and human diversity
• Comprehensive study of past and present human
  population and origin
• Cross cultural comparison of all societies
• Ancient vs. Modern
• Small vs. Large
• Simple vs. Complex

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Basic Definition

• Study of humankind over time and space

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What makes Anthropology distinctive?

• Study all varieties of people
• Study humankind at all time periods
• Study all aspects of humanity (religion,
  economics, food preferences, art, ecology,
  gender, race, etc.)
• Accept the unity of humanity. We are ALL similar
  somehow.

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Characteristics of Anthropology

• Holistic assumption that any aspect of a culture
  is integrated with other aspects, so that no
  dimension of culture can be understood in
  isolation
• Bio-cultural try to understand humans from a
  biological and cultural existence- the PHYSICAL
  and the SOCIAL

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Ethnocentrism versus Cultural Relativism

• Perception of reality socially and
  psychologically conditioned by culture

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Ethnocentrism

• Ethnocentrism attitude or opinion that the
  morals, values, and customs of ones own culture
  are superior to those of other people
• Attitude that a societys customs and ideas can
  be judged within the context of ones own culture

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Cultural Relativism

• Cultural Relativism the attitude that a
  societys customs and ideas should be viewed
  within the context of that societys ideals and
  values

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So much to cover! What to do? What to do?

• Subfields of Anthropology

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Two Broad Classifications

• Biological/ Physical Anthropology study of human
  biological variation and the emergence and
  evolution of the human species
• Cultural Anthropology study of recent and past
  societies

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Biological/ Physical Anthropology
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Biological/ Physical Anthropology

• Human paleontology study of fossils and human
  evolution

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Biological/ Physical Anthropology

• Primatology study of primates (primarily for
  purpose of clarifying evolutionary relationships)

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Biological/ Physical Anthropology

• Population Genetics study of DNA structure and
  the flow of genes amongst civilizations across
  time and space

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Cultural Anthropology
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Cultural Anthropology

• Archaeology investigation of past cultures
  through excavation of material remains

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Cultural Anthropology

• Anthropological Linguistics focus on the
  interrelationships between language and other
  aspects of a peoples culture
• Study of language
• How are languages different and/or similar?
• How has language evolved?
• How language is used socially?

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Cultural Anthropology

• Ethnology study of human cultures from a
  comparative perspective (study of how and why
  recent cultures differ and are similar)

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Applied Anthropology

• Concerned with applying information collected/
  perspectives/ theories/ methods to contemporary
  social problems and conditions (i.e., Public
  Health, Family Planning, World Bank)

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Medical Anthropology

• Falls under BOTH biological and cultural
  anthropological domains
• Biological study of disease variation across
  populations
• Cultural study of cultural interpretation of
  disease (How humans react to their own sickness)

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What is Culture?
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What is Culture?

• Culture set of learned behaviors, beliefs,
  attitudes, values, and ideals that are shared by
  a particular society

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Major Cultural Characteristics

• Learned
• Shared
• Symbolic

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Culture is Learned

• Learned culture is learned through other members
  of group
• Socialization process internalizing meanings and
  symbols used to interact and express thought
• Learned by language, objects, reactions, etc.

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Culture is Shared

• Shared through social interactions of groups-
  learn from each other
• Cooperative enterprise

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Culture is Symbolic

• Symbolic meaning given to objects, events, and
  concepts
• Holidays (Halloween)
• Rituals (Sweet Sixteen)
• Behaviors (Sporting events)
• Objects (Computer)
• Food (Birthday cake)

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What is Cultural Anthropology?
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Cultural Anthropology

• Study of recent/ contemporary societies and
  cultures in order to understand cultural
  diversity
• Explain behavioral variation within a culture and
  across cultures