what is anthropology ?

Answer 1

The word anthropology itself tells the basic story--from the Greek anthropos ("human") and logia ("study")--it is the study of humankind, from its beginnings millions of years ago to the present day.
Nothing human is alien to anthropology. Indeed, of the many disciplines that study our species, Homo sapiens, only anthropology seeks to understand the whole panorama--in geographic space and evolutionary time--of human existence.

Though easy to define, anthropology is difficult to describe. Its subject matter is both exotic (e.g., star lore of the Australian aborigines) and commonplace (anatomy of the foot). And its focus is both sweeping (the evolution of language) and microscopic (the use-wear of obsidian tools). Anthropologists may study ancient Mayan hieroglyphics, the music of African Pygmies, and the corporate culture of a U.S. car manufacturer.

But always, the common goal links these vastly different projects: to advance knowledge of who we are, how we came to be that way--and where we may go in the future.

Curiosity. In a sense, we all "do" anthropology because it is rooted in a universal human trait: curiosity. We are curious about ourselves and about other people, the living as well as the dead, here and around the globe. We ask anthropological questions:

Do all societies have marriage customs?
As a species, are human beings innately violent or peaceful?
Did the earliest humans have light or dark skins?
When did people first begin speaking a language?
How related are humans, monkeys and chimpanzees?
Is Homo sapiens's brain still evolving?

Answer 2

Sociology & Anthropology are 2 sides of the same coin.

Sociology studies society from the inside - Anthropology studies society from the outside.

Answer 3

Anthropology consists of the study of humanity. It is holistic in two senses: it is concerned with all human beings at all times and with all dimensions of humanity.
In principle, it is concerned with all institutions of all societies. Anthropology is distinguished from other social-science disciplines by its emphasis on cultural relativity, in-depth examination of context, and cross-cultural comparisons. Some anthropologists have utilized anthropological knowledge to frame cultural critiques. This has been particularly prominent in America, from the popular attacks on Victorianism by Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict through contemporary attacks on post-colonialism under the heading of postmodernism.
In practice, anthropology is reducible to four distinct fields of study. Biological or physical anthropology seeks to understand the physical human being through the study of genetics, inherited traits and variations thereof, evolution, adaptation, etc. Cultural anthropology is the investigation, often through long term, intensive field studies, of the culture of a particular people, its languages, economic patterns, kinships, political organizations, etc. Linguistic anthropology seeks to understand the processes of human communications, verbal and non-verbal; it identifies the many subtle elements of the world's languages and documents their structure, function and history. Finally, but of no less importance, archaeology is the study of the prehistory and early history of a culture and its development through the exploration, discovery, excavation, dating, and methodological analysis of the material remains of a culture.
Anthropology is a methodologically diverse discipline, incorporating both qualitative methods and quantitative methods. Ethnographies—intensive case studies based on field research—have historically had a central place in the literature of the discipline. Currently, advancements across the scientific disciplines such as in physics and chemistry have aided anthropologists in their efforts to better understand all of humanity. Radio-carbon dating is just one of many technologies used regularly in the field of anthropology.

Answer 4

It is the study of man. Specifically cutlural anthropology deals with how various cultures past and present function.

Answer 5

Anthropology (from the Greek word ἄνθρωπος, "man" or "person") consists of the study of humanity (see genus Homo). It is holistic in two senses: it is concerned with all human beings at all times and with all dimensions of humanity.

Answer 6

ok, NAZAR, you be attentive to you decrease and pasted that answer. ;-) i could purely upload that anthropology does deal in general with non-western cultures (they don't call them "primitive" anymore) as adversarial to western societies as sociology does. Archeology is a branch of anthropology that study people in step with their cultural artifacts. maximum folk tend to think of of archeology and "digs" whilst they hear anthropology. there is likewise actual anthropology which deals with issues like inhabitants genetics and human fossils. a lot greater like a actual technological awareness than socio-cultural anthro.

Answer 7

Kinda like sociology.
The difference is:
Sociology: study social interaction beween humans.
Anthropology: study cultural behaviour of a certain group of humans.

Answer 8

Whats with all the long winded answers?? Here's the simple one:

Anthropology = the study of humans

Answer 9

It is the science associating with the study of cultures, societies, behaviors of human beings. It also emphasizes cultural and societal differrences and similarities in comparing and contrasting various ethnic groups and cultures.

Answer 10

The study of human kind, different cultures and lifestyles around the globe.