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ANTHROPOLOGY 100
Introduction to Anthropology

Anthropology ● Primatology
● “Anthropos”: Humans ○ Study of living and extinct primates
● “Logos”: Study of ○ Study of living and fossil primates
● Study of Humankind in all times and places ○ Studying anatomy and behavior of
● Study of human species and its immediate other primates:
ancestors ■ Helps us understand what we
● Past present future share with our closest living
● First anthropology relatives and what makes
○ is about early missionaries/explorers humans unique
going to exotic places ■ The great apes has special
● Modern anthropology attention because their behavior
○ taking into account environment in can be a proxy on how early
relation to culture; humans behave
○ it’s not just about culture; ● Molecular Anthropology
○ taking into account effect of biology in ○ Anthropological study of genes and
our culture genetic relationships
Holistic Perspective ○ Contributes significantly to
● Fundamental Principle of Anthropology contemporary study of human
● Various parts of human culture and biology must biological diversity
be viewed in broadest possible context in ○ Study your family
order to understand their interconnections and ○ Ancestry
interdependence ○ DNA
Ethnocentrism ○ Family Tree
● What anthropologists avoid ■ Joseph James de Angelo: serial
● Belief that the ways of one’s own culture are the killer, rapist, burglar, around San
only proper ones Francisco, California in the last
● We must not be ethnocentric 40 years. Golden State Killer.
● Superiority complex Family tree researcher -
● What you believe is the only right thing or true GEDMatch. Saw 2 relatives of
● Sometimes about racism, discrimination, ageism the killer. Elimination of
suspects then down to 5 male
ANTHROPOLOGY AND ITS FIELDS suspects. He has mask and he
used to be a policeman that’s
1. Biological/Physical Anthropology why he was not captured
● Study of Human Biological Variation in time ● Forensic Anthropology
and space ○ One of the practical applications of
● All its subject matter has subfields Physical Anthropology
● Includes: ○ Identification of human skeletal
○ Evolution remains for legal purposes
○ Genetics ■ Using human remains/bones to
○ Growth & Development solve crimes
○ Primatology ○ Specialists use details of skeletal
● Paleoanthropology anatomy to establish age, sex,
○ Studies emergence of humans and population affiliation, and stature of
their later evolution the deceased
○ Study of human evolution ■ Try to establish age, sex,
○ Emergence of humans from the great ethnicity, height, of victim
apes to evolving to homo sapiens ○ Facial Reconstructions
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ANTHROPOLOGY 100
Introduction to Anthropology

■ When victim’s body is ruined development: disease, pollution, and

and no identification is found - poverty
facial reconstruction is done ● Studies of Human Adaptation
○ Age Estimation using Teeth ○ Focus on capacity of humans to adopt
○ Estimation of Height or adjust to their material
■ Calculated by using length of environment - biologically or
certain bones culturally
■ femur is more accurate than ○ When you have a certain environment,
other bones you will most likely adapt culturally and
○ Diseases leave marks on our bones biologically
■ Through looking at bones, you ○ Ex: in Africa, it’s hot so people are
can identify illnesses, diseases, darker and people are naked; their
and trauma of the victim homes are different from homes with
● Human Growth, Adaptation and Variation lower temp
○ Another specialty of Physical ○ 2 types of Adaptation
Anthropologists: ■ Developmental Adaptation
■ Study of Human Growth and ● Responsible for some
Development features of human
○ Why we have different physical variation
characteristics ● Long term and can be
○ Anthropologists examine biological hereditary
mechanisms of growth as well as ● Ex: Skin Color
impact of environment on growth ■ Physiological Adaptation
process ● Short term changes
○ The Vulture and the Little Girl ● Response to
■ “Struggling Girl” environmental
■ By Kevin Carter stimulus
■ The New York Times; March 26, ● When environment
1993 suddenly changed
■ In Ayod, South Sudan ● ex: when Filipinos goes
■ Pulitzer Prize for Feature to places with snow;
Photography 1994 when you don’t drink
■ Carter was not allowed to do milk and eat fruits or
anything but take photos; In vegetables then
traditional anthropology, we are suddenly you have to
not supposed to meddle 2. Cultural Anthropology
■ What you study should not be ● Study of the culture of group or society
meddled with; you can only ● You have to live in that particular society
study them ● Some anthropologists marry a member of the
■ Applied/Engaged Anthropology
society that they are studying
● you’re not just an
● Social or Sociocultural Anthropology
observer but you also
● Study of patterns of Human Behavior,
join them and be one
Thought, and Feelings
with them
● Study of Human Society and Culture:
● Physical Anthropologists study impacts of
○ subfields that describes, analyzes,
disease, pollution, and poverty on growth
interprets, and explains social and
○ as we know, certain human processes
cultural similarities and differences
affect or impact human growth and
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ANTHROPOLOGY 100
Introduction to Anthropology

● Culture
○ To anthropologists, it refers to the 2. Ethnology
customary ways of thinking and ■ The information used to
behaving of a particular population or make systematic comparisons
society among cultures all across the
○ It is the standards by which societies or world.
structured groups of people operate ■ You can choose whether you
○ These standards are socially learned will get data yourself or not
rather than acquired through ● Such cross cultural research allows
biological inheritance anthropologists to develop theories that help
● Has 2 components/research strategies: explain why certain important differences or
○ 2 Dimensions of Cultural Anthropology similarities occur among groups
1. Ethnography ● Cross cultural research:
■ Detailed description of a ○ you compare and contrast 2 or more
particular culture primarily groups and explain importance of
based on FIELDWORK similarities and differences
■ You study the culture but you ○ ex: Bohol v.s. Cebu pottery making
yourself collect data by doing traditions
fieldwork
■ Fieldwork Ethnography Ethnology
● Term anthropologists
use for on-location Requires Uses data
research field work collected by a
■ Research Methods: to collect series of
● Participant observation data researchers
● Interviews and
discussion Often descriptive Usually synthetic (to
● Because the hallmark of test hypotheses and
ethnographic fieldwork to build a theory)
is a combination of
Group/community Comparative / Cross
social participation
specific Cultural
and personal
observation within the
3. Linguistic Anthropology
community being
● The branch of anthropology that studies
studied, as well as
human languages
interviews and
● It will become linguistic anthropology if data is
discussions with
from fieldwork
individual members of a
● emphasized the documentation of languages
group, the ethnographic
of cultures under ethnographic study –
method is commonly
particularly those whose future seemed
referred to as
precarious
Participant
● The descriptive, comparative, and historical
Observation
study of language and of linguistic similarities
■ Provide the information used
and differences in time, space, and society.
to make systematic
comparisons among cultures
all across the world.
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ANTHROPOLOGY 100
Introduction to Anthropology

● Sociolinguistics
EXTINCT LANGUAGES IN THE PHILIPPINES
○ The study of how language is used in
Language Speakers Region social context.
○ ex: effect of social status to their
Dicamay Agta 0 Isabela language/vocab
(Dumagat, ○ It investigates relationships between
Dicamay social and linguistic variation
Dumagat)
○ Proxemics
Arta 0 Near Isabela-Quirino ■ The relationship of physical
Border and social distance
■ if we know the person, we will
Katabaga 0 Quezon converse near them;
■ ex: if in jeepneys, there are
Ata 0 Negros Oriental
many seats, you don’t seat
exactly next to a person
4. Archaeology
CRITICALLY EXTINCT LANGUAGES IN PH
● The branch of anthropology that studies human
Language Speakers Region culture through the recovery and analysis of
material remains and environmental data
Alabat Island Agta 30 Quezon ● Main method is excavation
● Sometimes you just have to explore
● Some even do it in laboratories
Isarog Agta 5 Camarines Sur ● Such material products include tools, pottery,
hearths, enclosures that remain as traces of
Southern Ayta 150 Sorsogon cultural properties in the past as well as
(Sorsogon Ayta) human, plant, animals and marine remains,
some of which date back 2.5 million years ago.
● Historical Linguistics
○ The study of how languages change
over time and how they may be related RELEVANCE OF ANTHROPOLOGY
○ Ex: Shakesperean English is different to
conversational English, Filipino/Tagalog, 1. Anthropology may help people to be more
Gay Lingo tolerant
● Structural or Descriptive Linguistics a. We become more respectful of other
○ Interested in how contemporary culture but there is a limit where the
languages differ especially in their cultural practice should not violate
construction. universal human rights;
○ Study of formal system of language b. but now we have engaged anthropology
○ such as: where we be one of them
■ morphology (word 2. Anthropology is also valuable in that knowledge
construction) of our past may bring us both a feeling of
● root word humility and a sense of accomplishment
■ semantics (meaning) a. We need to celebrate the
● denotations & accomplishment of humankind but we
connotations also have to learn with the mistakes of
■ syntax (rules and patterns) the past
● grammar
■ phonology (sound system)
● pronunciation
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ANTHROPOLOGY 100
Introduction to Anthropology

LESSONS OF THE PAST

1. The Collapse of Mayan Empire:

a. Overpopulation,
b. Environmental Degradation, and
c. Climate Change
2. Inca empire:
a. War,
b. Conquest,
c. Diseases, and
d. Colonization

ADDITIONAL NOTES

● Genealogy:
○ family tree research
● Molecular Anthropology:
○ DNA
● Cultural loss:
○ people within a culture cancel
themselves;
○ when they no longer want their culture