Social Sciences: What is the difference between sociology and anthropology?

Monika Kothari, Anthropology major at Michigan State.

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Anthropology.
These two fields are usually considered to be quite similar, and are sometimes offered as one program at
universities. While their purposes and methodology are historically a bit different, there's been more crossover
between anthropology and sociology lately. So while these are widely regarded as the basic differences between
them, it's entirely possible for anthropologists to quantitative methods and sociologists to use qualitative methods,
etc.

Both fields are social sciences that study human beings and human behavior.

Sociology
 Driving question: What is society, and how does it shape and reflect human nature?
 Emphasis on society and its origins and development (social classes, institutions and structures, social
movements)
 Has its historical basis in studying industrialized Western societies ("us")
 Quantitative methodology (survey & sampling) - viewed as a harder social science
 Macro-level focus - studies how the larger society and social trends affect individuals, families, and
communities
 More oriented towards solving problems (e.g. housing, welfare, etc.)
 Incorporates economics and statistics to a larger degree

Anthropology
 Driving questions: What does it mean to be human? How do humans behave and why?
 Emphasis on culture and its physical and social characteristics (kinship, language, religion, gender, art,
etc.)
 Has its historical basis in studying non-Western cultures or "the other" ("them")
 Qualitative methodology (ethnography) - viewed as a softer social science
 Micro-level focus - studies how individuals, families, and communities engage with the larger society and
social trends
 More oriented towards human understanding and the "bigger picture"
 Incorporates material/physical culture (archaeology, biophysical evidence)

Aspects of these two fields are remarkably similar, and growing increasingly so. In fact, modern social
anthropologists are beginning to look at Western cultures, while sociologists are beginning to apply
anthropological methods to their work. But this is the most basic summary I can give without getting muddied up
in the theories that shape and drive critical thought and analysis in each field.
Updated Jan 8, 2012 • Alex K. Chen
Anthropology vs Sociology
Between Anthropology and Sociology, there exist some differences, even though, both are considered as social
sciences that study different aspects of the human being. There is a great overlapping between anthropology and
sociology, so much so that sometimes it shrinks to studying ‘them v/s us’. Yes, both anthropology and sociology
make study of man, his behavior, culture, and interactions with the society. Anthropologists focus upon tribes and
cultures of colonized people; sociologists work with western, urban societies. There are many similarities and
differences between these two subjects within the realms of social sciences and it is the differences that will be
harped upon in this article.

What is Anthropology?
Anthropology studies man in his entirety. There are broad classifications of subject matter into archeology,
physical anthropology, linguistic, and cultural anthropology. It is clear that physical anthropology is more
concerned with the study of physical features of man such as his height, color of skin, and shape of body and head
etc. Archeology is that part of anthropology that is all about digging out artifacts from below the surface of the
earth that reveal a lot about man of those times and his interactions with the society. It is involved in making
deductions and drawing inferences from the analysis of artifacts and tools. It is cultural anthropology that is closest
to sociology and, even here, there are differences in approach and methodology that justify segregating these two
social sciences.
Anthropology is concerned with the study of fewer advanced cultures such as tribes in Africa and Asia, whereas,
sociology is more concerned with understanding social structuring in our societies. Anthropology is a broader
social science as it studies various aspects of human beings from their physical features to the study of their
artifacts (archeology). However, it is when we talk about social anthropology, also called cultural anthropology,
that distinctions between sociology and anthropology begin to blur. Now let us move on to an understanding of
Sociology.

What is Sociology?
Both anthropology and sociology attempt to answer questions pertaining to man and his behavior in his society.
However, unlike in Anthropology, in Sociology, society is at the focus of study.  If one goes into basics, one finds
that sociology is the scientific study of societies and social relationships. The main purpose of sociologists is to gain
an insight into human behavior. How and why human beings behave in a particular manner in a society is the
central question in any sociological debate. The changes in the behavior of an individual as a result of being a
member of a family, group, society, and a religion are studied deeply in sociology. Why human beings behave the
way they do in societies is what sociologists try to unravel.
In sociology, the complex social processes, and the role of social institutions are being studied. The idea of social
order and its maintenance, the impact of social institutions, not only on the people of a society but also on the very
idea of social stability are being discussed. In Sociology, research plays a key role in exploring and understanding
the social constructions as well as the subjective meanings that people associate to understanding the society. This
highlights that Sociology is different from Anthropology, even though, there is a tendency for the disciplines to fuse
together in certain situations.

What is the Difference between Anthropology and Sociology?

 There are many differences right from the subject matter to approach and methodology of sociologists
and anthropologists
 While there are subdivisions in anthropology such as physical anthropology, linguistic anthropology,
archeology, and cultural anthropology, sociology has one point agenda and that is to study the effect of
society on individual and the relationships of human beings and their societies.
 The fundamental difference between sociology and anthropology is that while sociologists study societies,
anthropologists study cultures.