Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Spring 2012 1.

3 Overview of Anthropology

Topics What Is Anthropology? What Makes Anthropology Unique? Ethnography/Ethnology. Anthropology: Social Science or Humanities? Evolutionism and the Roots of Anthropology (McGee and Warms). The Methods of Ethnology (Boas)

Anthropology

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Anthropology: the exploration of human diversity in time and space. Anthropology studies the whole of the human condition (past, present, and future): biology, society, language, culture, etc.

The Four Sub-Fields of Anthropology

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Physical/Biological Anthropology Archaeology (Socio)Cultural Anthropology (including Medical Anthropology) Linguistic Anthropology

What do Anthropologists Produce? Ethnography

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A descriptive account of a particular community, society, or culture. Based on first-hand fieldwork during which ethnographer adopts a holistic approach.

Ethnology

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Examines, analyzes, and compares the results of ethnographiesthe data gathered in different societies. Goal is to make generalizations about society and culture through detailed comparisons (grand theories).

Should Anthropology Be . . .

A quest for empathic understanding?

An interpretive endeavor to shed light on how others view the world?

A quest to provide explanations for why people act the way they do? A scientific endeavor to reveal regularities and generalizations about the human condition?

Evolutionism and the Roots of Anthropology (McGee and Warms)

Early Theorists

* Degenerationism: we were all once civilized, but after dispersing (Tower of Babel) some
degenerated while others remained civilized.

* Progressivism: human history is characterized by advances from primitive to civilized.

Differences emerge from different experiences.

Evolutionary Theories: From Biology to Society

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Jean Lamarck (1744-1829) Geographic or climatic changes pressure life forms to adapt. Charles Darwin (1809-82) Concept of natural selection. (Some variations more beneficial for survival and reproduction than others (long-term adaptation).

Herbert Spencer (1820-1902) Human societies analogous to biological organisms. Identify functions of organs in maintaining society.

The Comparative Method

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Assumption 1: psychic unity of mankind humans everywhere think alike. Assumption 2: all societies undergo parallel but independent evolutionary stages. Step 1: Place all societies on a scale from primitive to civilized. Step 2: Analyze living fossils (the so-called primitive societies) as evidence of previous evolutionary stages. Step 3: Compare institutions (e.g. political systems, kinship, religion) to understand evolutionary trajectory from primitive to civilized.

Social Darwinism

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Some societies are more fit than others. Colonial justification for European powers to dominate other societies (a moral imperative).

Franz Boas

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Physicist turned geographer (Berlin). Developed interest in studying culture. Professor of Anthro, Columbia Univ, 1899. Helped develop anthropology as a methodologically rigorous field of inquiry: Critiqued grand theories on race, evolution, and cultural determinism.

Rejection of Scientific Racism 1908 Study: Cranial dimensions in immigrants and their kids. Evidence: Immigrant kids had different skull shapes than parentsresult of different diets, habits, environment, etc. Therefore, cranial morphology is not an immutable marker of race; it can vary through time and according to environment. Historical Particularism

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Cultures can only be understood with reference to their particular historical developments. No general theories (e.g., evolution, diffusion) can explain processes of culture change. Every culture is unique and must be studied in terms of its. Rejection of scientific method (hypothesis testing) in anthropology; rejection of comparative method used by evolutionists. American anthropology (1900-1950s) becomes more aligned with humanities than social science.