Lesson 2:

Anthropology and the

Study of Society
What makes us
Human?
At the end of the Lesson you
will:
 Identify the subjects of inquiry
and goals of anthropology.
 Describe culture as a complex
whole.
 Identify the aspects of culture
and society.
NTHROPOLOG
ANTHROPOLOG
ANTROPOS Y LOGOS
 ANTHROPOLO
GY study of human.
Promotes the holistic
Anthropology seeks to answer this primary
question, What does it mean to be human?
Another key element that makes
anthropology holistic is its research time
frame, which ranges from evolution of
human as a species to our current
development.
 ANTHROPOLO
GY
As such anthropology can be
defined as the study of people their
origins, their development , and
contemporary variations, wherever and
whenever they have been found on the
face of the earth.
 Curiosity
A big part of human nature is also wanting to know
how other people are similar to and different from the
community around them. Anthropology helps to
answers those queries for humanity as it gives a solid
picture of human origins and blends together the
various human cultures into one large journey of
connected humanity. In doing so, it can also help in
finding an understanding about where cultures might
go future with future trend predictions based on past
growth and progress.
 Cross-Disciplinary Significance
Anthropology is important
because of its ability to synthesize
the learning of other disciplines into
one comprehensive picture of what it
means to be human.
 Economic Benefits
In today's world, people of
varying cultures communicate and do
business with one another on a
regular basis. Anthropology's
existence is vital to the business
world for this reason.
SUBDISCIPLIN
ES OF
ANTHROPOLO
GY
ARCHEOL
OGY
ARCHEOLO
GY
Examines the remains of
ancient and historical
human populations to
promote an understanding
of how humans have
adapted to their
environment and
developed.
ARCHEOLOGY
Is the study of human activity through the
recovery and analysis of material culture.
Archaeology is often considered a branch of
socio-cultural anthropology, but archaeologists also
draw from biological, geological, and environmental
systems through their study of the past.
The archaeological record consists of artifacts,
architecture, biofacts or ecofacts and
cultural landscapes.
 The importance of archaeology science is
blatantly realized in light of the fact that over
99% of humanity lived in primitive cultures, most
of which did not write or record events in the
traditional sense.
Without the use of
archaeology, discovered
cultures that did not keep
records would be
considered mostly
irrelevant, in a scientific
sense, due to the lack of
evidence to examine and
compare them with other
known cultures of the time.
 Social Science
ARCHEOLOGY
Humanities
 Cultural Anthropology
 is a branch
of anthropology focused
on the study of cultural
variation among humans.
 promotes the study of a
society’s culture through
their belief systems ,
practices and possessions.
 is the study of contemporary cultures in order to
better-understand past human development.

 Advocates study the beliefs, practices and

societies and attempt to relate them to what we
know from the archaeology of lesser
technologically-developed times of the human
past.
 Cultural Connections
In order to bridge the gap
between varying cultures,
anthropologists study and explain
cultural practices for similarities
and differences.
 LINGUISTIC
ANTHROPOLOGY
 Linguistic anthropology is a branch of anthropology
that studies the role of language in the social lives of
individuals and communities. Linguistic anthropology
explores how language shapes communication. Language
plays a huge role in social identity, group membership, and
establishing cultural beliefs and ideologies
Language Links

This is important in helping to

understand how one language relates to
another and how humans have communicated
with one another over time.
Through the study of linguistic
anthropology, anthropologists are able to
explain the links between languages and the
differences in the ways that various human
cultures use and manipulate words and
language.
PHYSICAL/
BIOLOGICAL
 Physical/Biological
Anthropology
 looks into the biological development
of humans and their contemporary
variation.
 Deals with the evolution of humans, their
variability, and adaptations to
environmental stresses.

 Using an evolutionary perspective, we

examine not only the physical form of
humans - the bones, muscles, and organs -
but also how it functions to allow survival
and reproduction.
Paleoanthropology
 studies the evolution of primates
and hominids from the fossil record and
from what can be determined through
comparative anatomy and studies of
social structure and behavior from our
closest living relatives.
Primatologist
s
study prosimians, monkeys
and apes, using this work to
understand the features that
make each group distinct and
those that link groups together.
Skeletal Biology
concentrates on the study of
anatomically modern humans,
primarily from archaeological sites,
and aims to understand the diseases
and conditions these past people
experienced prior to dying.
 Human
Biologists
concentrate on contemporary
humans, examining not only their anatomy
and physiology but also their reproduction
and the effects of social status and other
factors on their growth and development.
Genetics
The study of inherited traits
in individuals and the actions of
the genes responsible for them in
populations is vital to
understanding human variability.
Growth and Development
Methods to assess rates of growth,
skeletal age compared with
chronological age, and the genetic,
endocrhonologic, and nutritional factors
that affect growth in humans and other
primates
 Via expert knowledge of the
human skeleton, fingerprints, blood
genetics, DNA sequencing, and
archaeological methods, physical
anthropologists provide invaluable
assistance in the identification of victims
and perpetrators of crimes and casualties
of accidents and wars.
 APPLIED
ANTHROPOLOGY
 Attempts to solve contemporary
problems through the application of
theories and approaches of the
discipline.
 Applied anthropology is
the application of the methods and
theory of anthropology to the analysis
and solution of practical problems.
Key Informants
are individuals in
the society who
has significant
knowledge on the
topic being
studied by the
anthropologist.
CULT
URE
Culture- is everything that a person learns as a
member of a society.
The three italicized words are important in
understanding the concept of culture better. It is a
set of beliefs, attitudes and practices that an
individual learns through his or her family, school,
church, and other social institutions.
 2 Characteristics of Culture
 Material Culture- includes all the tangible parts and
visible parts of culture which includes food, clothes
and even buildings.

 Non Material Culture- includes all the intangible

parts of culture, which consists of values, ideas a d
knowledge.
Material
Culture
Non-Material
Culture
 Culture is Learned
As you interact
with your
immediate family
and peers, you
learn the values
and accepted
behaviors in your
society
Enculturation
this is the process
of learning your
own culture.
Acculturation
Due to constant
interaction between
societies, culture can
be modified to
accommodate
desirable traits from
other cultures.
Deculturation
this is when the
culture of the other
generation comes
into conflict with
the needs and
realities of younger
generation.
Culture is Shared
Culture is Shared
The set of behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that a
person possesses is a part of a greater collection of
values and ideas that is communally owned and
practiced by members of a society.
This implies that a particular behavior cannot be
considered as a culture if there is only one person
participating it. Culture is shared intergenerationally.
Hence, to share a culture, it must be taught to members
of contemporary society who will, in turn, teach the
younger generation.
Culture Affects Biology
Culture Affects Biology
Humans are born into cultures
that have values and beauty and body.
As such, they alter their bodies to fit
into psychological norms that are
dictated by culture.
Culture is Adaptive
 Culture is Adaptive
Culture is a tool for survival that humans
use in response to the pressures of their
environment. Both material and non material
parts of culture are influenced by the goal of
humans to address their needs as dictated by
their environment and their biology
 Culture is
Maladaptive
 Culture is Maladaptive

Culture can also cause problems for

the people who subscribe to it. These
problems arise when the environment has
changed and culture has remained the
same.
Culture
 The final characteristic of culture is
that it is never static. This dynamism of
culture is due to the changing needs of
humans as they interpret and survive in
their environment.
As such culture is continuously
reinvented by people. From the clothes
that we wear to the food that we eat,
culture can be seen as ever changing.
Theories
on
Culture
Cultural Evolutionism
 all cultures undergo the same
development stages in the same
order. The main classifications
include savagery, barbarism, and
civilization.
Diffusionism
 all societies change as a
result of cultural borrowing from
one another.
Historicism
 Each culture is unique and
must be studied in its own
context.
 Surround yourself with
positive souls and positive
vibes, your environment
influences your experiences,
make it a positive one.