SOCIO-CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Learning Objectives:
After completing this Chapter, the students are expected to:
 Define anthropology and describe its basic concerns and subject matter;
 Describe the different sub-fields of anthropology;
 Explain how and why socio-cultural anthropology as a science emerged;
 Appreciate the contributions and applications of anthropology in personal and
professional lives; and
 Compare and contrast anthropology with other related behavioral or social sciences.

What is Anthropology?
The term anthropology is a combination of two words derived from Greek language:
anthropos and logos. The term anthropos is equivalent to the word mankind or human
being, while logos means study or science. So putting the two words together,
anthropology is the study or science of mankind or humanity. The following are two
important, simple, definitions of anthropology:

A simple definition of anthropology:

“Anthropology is the study or science of mankind or humanity”
Anthropology is the study of humanity.
Anthropology is a broad scientific discipline dedicated to the comparative study
of humans as a group, from its first appearance on earth to its present stage of
development.

In a more specific term, anthropology is science which:

Investigates the strategies for living that are learned and shared by people as
members of human social groups;
Examines the characteristics that human beings share as members of one species
(homo sapiens) and the diverse ways that people live in different environments; and
Analyzes the products of social groups: material objects (tools, cloths, houses, etc)
and non- material creations (beliefs, values, practices, institutions, etc). (World Book
Encyclopedia. Vol.1 PP. 545-548.

It should further be stressed that anthropology focuses on

(1) the origin of humans,
(2) the evolutionary development of humans,
(3) human physical, bio- chemical and cultural variations, and
(4) the material possessions and cultural heritages of humans.

Anthropology seeks to explain how and why people are both similar and different
through examination of our biological and cultural past and comparative study of
contemporary human societies (Howard and Dunaif- Hattis, 1992:3). Howard and Dunaif-
Hattis (1992) further note that: Anthropology’s ultimate goal is to develop an integrated
picture of humankind—a goal that encompasses an almost infinite number of questions about
all aspects of our existence. We ask, for example, what makes us human? Why do some
groups of people tend to be tall and lanky, while others tend to be short and stocky? Why
do some groups of people practice agriculture, while others hunt for a living?
Anthropologists are interested in all things human. (P.3)
Anthropology has a strong affinity with natural sciences as well. In fact, anthropology
is well known by that aspect of it which is mainly concerned with the biological/ physical
dimensions of mankind as a biological being in group context. Hence, it may be inappropriate
to say that anthropology is only a social science. It is also a natural science, not in the sense
that it deals with the natural phenomenon or man as an individual entity per se, but in the
sense that one of its main interests is to study man and man's behavior as a product of the
natural processes, and in the context of the animal kingdom (Scupin and DeCorse, 1995).

Misconceptions about Anthropology

There are a number of misconceptions associated with anthropology due to lack of
appropriate awareness of its nature. The following are some of the misconceptions
(adapted from lectures by my undergraduate anthropology instructor):

One misconception about anthropology is related to the area of its study. It is said that
anthropology is limited to the study of "primitive" societies. Indeed, most of the
works done by anthropologists during early periods focused on isolated, "primitive",
small- scale societies. However, anthropologists nowadays study the advanced,
complex societies as well.

Another misconception is that anthropologists only study the rural people and rural
areas. True, most of the works conducted focused on rural areas. But now,
anthropologists are also interested in the study of urban people and urban areas. There
is a distinct sub-discipline devoted to the study of urban societies -urban
anthropology-which focuses on small-scale society in a complex city.

It is claimed that anthropologists are only interested in the study of far away,
remote exotic communities living isolated from the influences of modernization.
True, most anthropologists go to fieldwork to an isolated people in a distant corner.
But now anthropologists are interested in home anthropology, studying anthropology
at home, i.e., in one's own society.

It is also said that the purpose of anthropology is to study in order to keep and
preserve primitive, defunct cultural practices in museums and anthropologists
are advocates of defunct, obsolete culture. True, when anthropologists study
"primitive" society, they study the culture of the people, to reconstruct it, to give
meaning to the peculiar behaviors of people. However, anthropologists do not defend
"primitiveness"; they play a great role in bringing about positive change and
development in the lives of people.

Four misconceptions about anthropology:

1. Anthropology is limited to the study of "primitive" societies.
2. Anthropologists only study the rural people and rural areas.
3. Anthropologists are only interested in the study of far away, remote exotic
communities living isolated from the influences of modernization.
4. Anthropology wants to keep and preserve primitive, defunct cultural practices in
 museums and anthropologists are advocate of defunct, obsolete culture.

Brief Historical Overview of Anthropology

The facts of the incredibly diverse and at the same time essentially similar nature of
humans over time and space have intrigued curious-minded people over the century. The
history of anthropological thought is replete with many and varied ideas, some of which
often were wild extremes resulting from ethnocentric attitudes. Before anthropology
attained the status of scientific discipline curious-minded persons from ancient to medieval
times have speculated a lot about the issues and problems that concern anthropologists today
(Hodgen, 1964). That is, the present academic anthropology has its roots in the works and
ideas of the great ancient and Medieval Greek, Roman, and Hebrew philosophers and social
thinkers. These people were interested in the nature, origin and destiny of man, and the
morality and ethics of human relationships

While the roots of (socio-cultural) anthropology can be generally traced through the
history of western culture as far back as ancient Greek social philosophical thinking, the
discipline did not emerge as distinct field of study until the mid-nineteenth century.
Anthropology as an academic discipline was born during the 19 th century (see The New
Encyclopedia Britannica (Macropedia). Vol. 27 PP.326-331).

Anthropology as academic discipline was born out of the intellectual atmosphere of

that is called the Enlightenment, which is the eighteenth century social philosophical
movement that emphasized human progress and the poser of reason, and based on
Darwinian Theory of Evolution (Scupin and DeCorse, 1995).

According to Howard and Dunaif-Hattis (1992:362): By the late 1870s,

anthropology was beginning to emerge as a profession. A major impetus for its growth was
the expansion of western colonial powers and their consequent desire to better understand the
peoples living under colonial domination. In the United States, for example, the
government sought information on Native American peoples who were being subdued and
placed on reservations. As the tribes were subdued, anthropologists were employed to help
devise means to administer these people. … [H]owever, many anthropologists were
motivated by the desire to record local customs before they disappeared and were
forgotten…. Anthropology became a profession primarily in museums, During the 1870s and
1880s many museums devoted to the study of humankind were founded in Europe, North
America and South America…. Anthropology’s link with museums influenced its
development throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries…
Professionalization during the latter part of nineteenth and early twentieth centuries made
great breakthroughs in the quality and quantity of ethnographic research….

Early anthropologists mainly studied small communities in technologically simple

societies. Such societies are often called by various names, such as, traditional, non-
industrialized or simple societies. Anthropologists of the early 1900s emphasized the study of
social and cultural differences among human groups. Here, many of the indigenous peoples
of the non-western world and their social and cultural features were studied in detail and
documented. This approach is called ethnography. By the mid-1900, however,
anthropologists attempted to discover universal human patterns and the common bio-
psychological traits that bind all human beings. This approach is called ethnology. Ethnology
aims at the comparative understanding and analysis of different ethnic groups across time and
space (Kottak, 2002; Scupin and DeCorse, 1995).
Difference between ethnography and ethnology:
 Ethnography: description of the culture of a certain group of people.
 Ethnology: Anthropological attempt to discover universal human patterns and the
common bio- psychological traits that bind all human beings

Subject Matter and Scope of Anthropology

The subject matter of anthropology is very vast. The subject covers all aspects
of human ways of life and culture, as humans live in a social group relationship.
Discovering the meaning, nature, origin, and destiny of humanity is one of the key
concerns of anthropology. According to the present stage of scientific knowledge attained
in anthropology, the term humanity or mankind is a very difficult term to define.
Anthropologists seem to be unsure whether humanity is absolutely dichotomous with other
lower forms of animals. Some may even tend to regard humanity and non-humanity as
something that is best understood in the form of continuum. This sense of continuum may
be particularly in terms of time scale. Thus, the farther we go in time backwards, the
narrower becomes the difference between humanity and non- humanity.

It has now become a generally accepted fact in anthropology, although no full

evidences are forthcoming, that humanity is a product of the evolutionary processes, and that
humans have evolved from their closest living primates (Bryan, 1997; Behe, 1996).

Anthropology is interested in some of the following questions and issues about humans:
 Where did human species come from (i.e. what are the origins of mankind)?
 Were human beings created in the image and likeness of God, or were they just the
products of millions of years of the natural, evolutionary process?
 In what ways does man differ from other animal species?
 How did mankind arrive at the present stage of biological, intellectual, and cultural
development?
 Is there a common human nature, and if so, what is it like?
 In what ways do humans who live in various times and places differ?
 How can we explain why cultures vary?
Such and many other related questions are the concerns of anthropology.

Anthropologists try to know and explain about the technological, economic, political
and intellectual development of humanity. They attempt to discover the extent to which
different human populations vary in their biological and social characteristics and to
understand why these differences exist.

Anthropologists are, for example, interested to know and explain why a pregnant
woman in Gumuz goes to a bush to give birth during labor, how the Nuer practice birth
control methods and why they put horizontal line marks on their forehead, or why the
Wolayta put a circular body mark on their cheek while the Tigreans put a cross mark on their
foreheads, etc.

Although anthropologists investigate the distinctive features of different cultures, they

also study the fundamental similarities among people throughout the world (Scupin and De
Corse, 1995). They try to find out what factors account for the similarities in certain beliefs,
practices and institutions that are found across cultures. They grapple with explaining why
cultural universals exist. Are these cultural similarities results of diffusion (i.e., a certain
material culture or non-material culture created in a certain society diffuses to other societies
through contact, war, trade, etc)? Or are they due to independent creation (i.e., certain cultural
items created by two or more societies without one copying from the other)? Anthropologists
have debated taking different sides while attempting to answer these questions.

Distinguishing Features of Anthropology

We may identify five distinguishing marks of anthropology:
 Its Broad Scope
The main distinguishing characteristic of anthropology, the thing that makes it
different from the many other fields that also include people as their subject matter
is its broad scope. A good way to emphasize this broad scope is to say that
anthropologists are interested in all human beings, whether living or dead, ''primitive''
or '' civilized'' and that they are interested in many different aspects of humans,
including their skin color, family lives, marriages, political systems, tools,
personality types, and languages. No place or time is too remote to escape the
anthropologist's notice. No dimension of human kind, from genes to art styles, is
outside the anthropologist's attention (Kottak, 1994, 2002; Howard and Dunaif-
Hattis, 1992)

 Its Unique Approaches

Anthropology is Holistic: Studying one aspect of the ways of life of a group of people
by relating it to other complex related aspects of life.
Anthropology is Relativistic: Anthropology tries to study and explain a certain belief,
practice or institution of a group of people in its own context. It does not make value
judgment, i.e., declaring that ‘this belief or practice is good’ or ‘that is bad.’
Anthropology is Comparative: Anthropology studies certain aspects of the culture of
a group of people by comparing it across societies and different times; i.e., the
present with the past, the modern with the traditional, etc.

 Emphasis on Insiders' View: Anthropologists focus on how the people themselves

understand about their world, how a particular group of people explains about the
world, etc. This is what anthropologists call emic perspective.

 The Micro-focus: This is another distinguishing mark of anthropology.

Anthropology focuses on small-scale society or community. The kinds of social
groups or communities anthropologists study, whether they are in traditional or
modern world, are usually small scaled in their social organization, economic and
political structure, and tend to be homogenous in their overall character.

 Its Method of Research: The hallmarks of anthropology are qualitative research

methods such as extended fieldwork, focus- group discussion, participant observation,
in-depth and key informant interviews. Although these methods are now practiced in
other behavioral sciences as well, no other discipline seems to be so associated
with and employs such methods as anthropologists

Distinguishing features of anthropology

1. Its broad scope
2. Its unique approaches: Holism, relativism and comparativism
 3. Emphasis on insider’s view
4. The micro-focus
5. Its methods of research: emphasis on extended field work

Sub-fields of Anthropology
As indicated earlier, the interests and subject- matter of anthropology are wide-ranging.
This broad discipline is usually divided in four main sub-fields. These are: physical
anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology and archaeological
anthropology. Sometimes, applied anthropology is added as a fifth sub-field. A brief
discussion of the four major sub-fields is as follows.

Physical Anthropology
Physical anthropology is the branch of anthropology most closely related to the natural
sciences, particularly biology; that is why it is often called biological anthropology
(Scupin and DeCorse, 1995; Howard and Dunaif-Hattis, 1992). It studies the biological
dimensions of human beings, including biological evolution, the physical variations
between contemporary populations, and the biology and behavior of non-human primates.
Physical anthropology itself is further divided into three special fields of study:
paleoanthropology, primatology and anthropometry.

Paleoanthropology: is a subspecialty in physical anthropology which is interested in the

search for fossil remains from prehistoric times to trace the development of outstanding
human physical, social and cultural characteristics. Paleoanthropology is the study of human
evolution through analysis of fossil remains. Paleoanthropologists use a variety of
sophisticated techniques to date, clarify and compare fossil bones to determine the links
between modern humans and their biological ancestors (ibid. p3) Despite the highly
acclaimed Darwinian theory of human origins, that humans are evolved from lower life
forms, it may be appropriate to state that many writers in the evolutionary circle argue that
there are limits to fossil evidences and paleoanthropology has many problems to tackle
(Behe, 1996). As Bryan (1995) suggests, the great theory of Darwinian Evolution rests on so
little evidence. Paleoanthropologists are aware of this limitation but textbook accounts of
origins of human beings tend to neglect them.

Primatology: The study of the biology and behavior of primates, that is, the animals that
most closely resemble human beings in terms of physiological and anatomical structure, is
an important field in physical anthropology. Primatologists observe primates such as
gorillas, chimpanzees, gibbons, and orangutans in their natural habitats to ascertain the
similarities and differences between these other primates and humans (ibid, same page).
Primatological research helps us understand what human beings share with other animals,
what makesthem part of the natural world and their unique characteristics (Howard and
Dunaif-Hattis, 1992).

Anthropometry: The study of human variations within and among different populations in
time and space, human ecology, population genetics, etc make up the central concerns of this
sub-branch of physical anthropology. These physical differences may be in terms of blood
types, skin colors, skull shape, facial shape, hair texture, and the like. Anthropometry shades
some light on how differing physical characteristics have helped human groups adapt
different geographical environments. Population genetics, the study of biological inheritance
plays an important role in anthropometry, what is sometimes termed as biological
anthropology (Scupin and DeCorse, 1995; Howard and Dunaif-Hattis, 1992).

The investigation of human variations among living populations has led to the application of
the knowledge in solving practical problems. The development of a specialty known as
forensic anthropology is one of the results of these attempts. Forensic anthropology is the
identification of human skeletal remains for medical and legal purposes. Forensic
anthropologists work often with other forensic specialists in aiding criminal investigations.
Forensic anthropologists attempt to determine the sex, age at death, ancestral background,
and stature of the deceased individual. Using this knowledge, forensic anthropologists
identify crash victims, war causalities, homicide victims, and skeletal remains in unmarked
graves (Howard and Dunaif-Hattis, 1992; Scupin and DeCorse, 1995; Kotttak, 2002).

Sociocultural Anthropology
This is also often called social anthropology or cultural anthropology. It is concerned
with the social and cultural dimensions of the living peoples (Pritchard 1995); and with the
description and analysis of people’s lives and traditions (Podolefsky and Brown, 1997).
Socio-cultural anthropology studies the social, symbolic or non- material and material lives
of contemporary and historically recent human societies, taking the concept of culture central
to its goal (Howard and Dunaif-Hattis, 1992).

Cultural anthropologists conduct studies of living peoples, most often by visiting and
living among aparticular people for an extended period of time, usually a year or longer
(Keesing 1981). They conduct fieldwork among the people they study and describe the
results of their investigations in the form of books and articles called ethnographies. Cultural
anthropology is also concerned with making generalizations about, and seeking explanations
for, similarities and differences among the world's people. Those who conduct comparative
studies to achieve these theoretical goals are called ethnologists. Thus, two important aspects
of social/cultural anthropology are ethnography and ethnology. The former is more of
empirical study or description of the culture and ways of lives of a particular group of
people, while the latter is more of a theoretical study of the similarities and differences
among the human groups of the world, past or present.

There are many other specialized fields of study in social or cultural anthropology.
Some of these include: anthropology of art, medical anthropology, urban/rural/economic
anthropology, political anthropology, development anthropology, anthropology of
religion, legal anthropology, demographic anthropology, ecological anthropology,
psychological anthropology, ethnomusicology, etc.

Archaeological Anthropology
Archaeology studies the ways of lives of past peoples by excavating and analyzing the
physical remains they left behind. Artifacts are the material remains of human societies
(Scupin and DeCorse, 1995). Archeologists also study ecofacts, the footprints on the ecology
by the past societies. This helps reveal the way human societies interacted with their
local ecosystems. Tools, ornaments, pottery, animal bones, human skeletal material, and
evidence of how people lived in the distant past are collected, and systematically analyzed.
Archeological anthropology has three major goals: 1) classifying and sequencing material
culture; 2) reconstructing ancient ways of life; and 3) explaining and delineating cultural
processes (Howard and Dunaif- Hattis, 1992).
Some branches of study in archeology include:
Prehistoric archeology: Prehistoric archeology investigates human prehistory; that is
the periods of time in a region before the art of writing developed. Many anthropological
archeologists study societies that did not leave behind any written records. Prehistoric
archeology uses material remains to reconstruct prehistoric life ways; it also studies
contemporary peoples whose styles of life are analogous and or comparable to those of
ancient peoples. For example, by studying the ways of life of present hunter and gatherer
societies, prehistoric archeologists can gain insights into the ways in which the ancient
foraging peoples lived (Ibid. P. 11)
Ethnoarcheology: This may be regarded as an aspect of prehistoric archeology. It is an
approach to ethnographic analogy in which archeologists make their own observation of the
contemporary cultures rather than relying on information provided by cultural
anthropologists.

Historical archaeology: uses the evidence provided by excavated remains to enhance our
understanding of historic peoples; that is, peoples who had writing and about whom written
records are available. Historical archeologists study sites dating from historic times. Much of
the work of historical archeologists has been to help preserve historical sites (Ibid. p12).

Classical archeology: Is an aspect of historic archeology; it deals primarily with the ancient
civilizations and empires of Europe and the Middle East, including Egypt, Greece, Roman
and Persia, Axum, etc.

There are several other specialized areas of study and research in archeology such as
industrial archeology, underwater archeology, marine archeology, cognitive archeology,
experimental archeology, biblical archeological, cultural resource management, and so on.

Linguistic Anthropology
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Linguists describe and analyze the
sound patterns, combinations of sounds, meanings and structure of sentence in human
languages (Kottak, 1994). They also attempt to determine how two or more languages are
related. Historically, modern linguists are especially interested in whether all human
languages share any universal common feature. Some recent work suggests that human
infants are born with knowledge of a set of generalized rules that allow them to discover the
specific rules of language around them and to formulate new sentences by applying these
rules.

The terms linguistic anthropology anthropological linguistics, and ethnolinguistics

are often used interchangeably in the linguistic anthropology literature. However, the more
preferred term is linguistic anthropology. It is defined as “the study of speech and language
within the context of anthropology…. It is the study of language as a cultural resource and
speaking as a cultural practice.” (Durnati, 1997:1).

Linguistic anthropology usually focuses on unwritten languages (i.e., those languages

which have no form of writing, languages used by indigenous peoples of the non-western
societies). It is especially concerned with relations between language and other aspects of
human behavior and thought. Linguistic anthropologists might describe and analyze a
language so far unknown to linguistic science. The branch of linguistic anthropology, called
sociolinguistics is interested in how the language is used in various social contexts. For
example, what speech style must one use with people of higher social standing? How does a
local political leader use language to earn people's allegiance? What can the naming of
various parts of the natural and social environment tell us about people's perception of their
environments?

A second important branch called historical linguistics focuses on the comparison

and classifications of different languages to discern the historical links between them. This
historical linguistic research is particularly useful in tracing the migration routes of various
societies through time (Scupin and De Corse, 1995).

Another branch, called structural linguistics, studies the structure of linguistic

patterns. Structural linguists compare grammatical patterns and other linguistic elements to
find out how contemporary languages are similar to and different from one another.

Applied Anthropology
Applied anthropology, the application of anthropological knowledge, methods and
approaches to the solving of human problems, is often now seen as a fifth major branch of
anthropology, although it is not well-established as the traditionally known four fields.
Applied anthropology involves the use of data gathered in other subfields of anthropology in
an endeavor to tackle contemporary societal problems. Anthropologists have increasingly
become concerned with practically dealing with human problems (Bodley, 1996; Podolefsky
and Brown, 1993). The problems may include: environmental, technological, economic,
social, political or cultural. Applied anthropologist now work in quite many areas of
relevance such as education, mass medical, medicine, development, business, agriculture,
crime and urban poverty, etc (Scupin and DeCorse, 1995; Kottak, 2002).

Major branches and specializations in anthropology

 Five major branches of anthropology: physical anthropology, Sociocultural
anthropology, archeological anthropology, linguistic anthropology and applied
anthropology
 Specializations in physical anthropology: primatology, paleoanthropology,
anthropometry, population genetics, forensic anthropology
 Specializations in sociocultural anthropology: medical anthropology, urban
anthropology, anthropology of religion, ecological anthropology, demographic
anthropology, development anthropology, economic anthropology, etc.
 Specializations in archeological anthropology: historical archeology, prehistoric
archeology, Ethnoarcheology, classic archeology, underwater archeology, biblical
archeology, cultural resource management, et.
 Specializations in linguistic anthropology: sociolinguistics, historical
linguistics, structural linguistics.

Contributions of Anthropology
The contributions of anthropology may be categorized in to the following (World
Book Encyclopedia 1994, Vol. 1, Howard and Dunaif-Hattis 1992; Aoyagi, 1999):
Anthropology gives us an insight into different ways and modes of life of a given
society, to understand the logic behind and justification for human activities and behavior.
Anthropology also helps us understand our own ways of lives. Many aspects of our lives
seem to us normal, so we don't know the logic behind. Eating injera, for example, is assumed
to be normal to those whose staple (main) food item is injera. By studying anthropology, we
look into ourselves through the others' ways of lives. As we study anthropology, we
encounter a different way of lives from ourselves, and hence we get opportunity to appreciate
and understand ourselves.
Anthropology helps us fight against prejudices and discriminations. It helps us fight
against ethnocentrism; the attitude that one's own culture and one's own way of life is the
center of the worldand the best of all. This arises from ignorance about other ethnic groups
and their ways of lives.

Anthropology is also used as a tool for development. Applied anthropology, here, is

the application of anthropological knowledge and research results in the solution of some
social problems or in the implementation of project plans.

In addition to the aforementioned points, we may substantiate the contributions of

anthropology as follows:

 Because of its broad scope, anthropology allows us to understand the biological,

technological and cultural development of humanity over long period of time in
human evolution.
 Because of its comparative approach to humanity, anthropology allows us to separate
what is unique to our way of life from what is general to all people.
 Because of its relativistic approach, anthropology helps us to be more sensitive and
appreciative of cultural diversity and variability. It helps us to avoid some of the
misunderstanding that commonly arises when individuals of different cultural
traditions come into contact. Anthropology reduces ethnocentrism by instilling an
appreciation of cultural diversity. Anthropology can help us be aware that when we
interact with people from other cultural traditions, their actions are not always
intended to mean what we take them to mean, and therefore much miscommunication
can be avoided. Health workers involved in health care provision in various cultural
settings will find it very helpful if they develop this mentality.

Anthropologists bring a holistic approach to national and international development

agencies.

Anthropologists use their expertise in particular subjects to formulate practical ways

of coping with immediate social problems. Medical anthropologists, for example, investigate
the interrelationship between human health, nutrition, and cultural beliefs and practices.
In general, anthropology more than any other sciences, can reveal the alternative ways of
living developed by diverse segments of humanity.

Before closing this section, it is important to note why health/ medical sciences
students need to take a course in sociocultural anthropology. The following are some of the
arguments for the necessity of such a course: Health, disease and illness are as much
sociocultural in their nature as they are physical.

So far, despite certain steps being taken, the dominant trend in the medical/ health
sciences training is to highly focus on the biomedical and ecological dimensions of health
and disease. However, given the bio-psycho-social nature of human being and health, this is
very partial. This restricted approach to health disease does not provide the students with
appropriate and whole picture about the issue. Such highly narrow focus in the training of
health professionals and design of health policies and strategies is not appropriate. In the
objective realties of developing societies such as Ethiopia human health and wellbeing are
deeply linked to sociocultural factors such as the entrenched poverty, the roles of traditional
values and institutions in shaping people’s worldviews about health and disease.

The Relationship between Anthropology and Other Disciplines

Similarity between Anthropology and Other Disciplines

Anthropology is similar with other social sciences as to its subject matter. All the
social sciences such as sociology, psychology, political sciences, economics, history, etc,
study, in one way or another, the human society and its ways of lives. Anthropology greatly
overlaps with other disciplines that study human society. For example, anthropological field
workers are likely to collect information on a society's agriculture, leadership patterns, and
beliefs about the universe (physical world), music and art forms. They might find it useful to
be acquainted with the works of economists, geographers, political scientists, philosophers,
mythologists, and artists or art historians. They may read the works of historians,
sociologists, novelists, economists, psychologists, and political scientists who also write
about the region. Anthropology thus cuts across many disciplines, encompassing many of the
subjects that other scholars consider their special province: law, religion, politics, literature,
art, and so on (World Book Encyclopedia 1994, Vol. 1).

Differences between Anthropology and Other Disciplines

Anthropology differs from other social sciences and the humanities by its broad
scope, approach, unit of analysis and methods used. It studies mankind in its entirety. In its
approach, anthropology studies and analyzes human ways of life holistically, comparatively
and relativistically. Its unit of analysis is small-scale society. That is, it is interested in a
group of people with more or less simple, homogenous ways of life. In its method of
research, it is unique in that extended fieldwork among the studied community and
developing intimate knowledge of the life worlds of the community with participant
observation.

Chapter Summary
Anthropology is broad scientific discipline, which was born lately in the 19th century,
with the major aim of scientific study and documentation of the physical, socio-cultural and
other diversities among people, past and present. It specially studies simple, small-scale
societies in the non-western world. Its holistic, comparative and relativistic approaches, its
unit of analysis and method of study along with its broad scope make it unique. However, it
shares many things with the other sciences. The science of anthropology has many theoretical
and practical importance and contributions. The four main branches of anthropology are
physical anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology and archeological
anthropology. Applied anthropology is sometimes regarded as a fifth sub-filed. Each of the
major branches of anthropology has several specialized areas of study within it.
Anthropology as a science has as its major goal the making, accumulation and dissemination
of scientific knowledge on society and culture.

Review Questions
1. What is anthropology?
2. Discuss the historical backgrounds of sociocultural anthropology.
3. What is the difference between ethnography and ethnology?
4. What is forensic anthropology? Discuss its applicability in
Ethiopia.
5. Why do anthropologists study primate behavior?
6. What common characteristics does anthropology share with the other sciences?
7. Why do anthropologists use emic approach in their research?
8. What distinguishes anthropology from other human sciences?
9. What are the personal and professional uses of anthropology to you?
10. Define paleoanthropology. What are its limitations?
11. Distinguish between historical archeology, prehistoric archeology and
ethnoarcehology.