Rahema Velmi

Task: Read and write a summary on pages 1-84 from the book, Mirror for Humanity by Conrad P.
Kottak
In the first four chapters of Mirror for Humanity, Kottak introduces anthropology, its core disciplines, the
significance of culture, applications of anthropology as well as the role of linguistics in this field. Anthropology
is described as the “holistic, biocultural and comparative study of humanity” (Kottak) which examines cross-
cultural comparisons in a vast sphere ranging from language, society, biological differences and more.
The four disciplines of anthropology are Cultural Anthropology, Anthropological Archaeology, Biological
Anthropology and Linguistic Anthropology. Each field has the similar fundamental purpose to examine,
analyze, interpret and explain phenomena related to the way humans came to be, how they interact with one
another and their enculturation in society. Methodology and approach vary between these disciplines. For
example, a biological anthropologist would examine genetics in human evolution whilst on the other hand, an
anthropological archaeologist would excavate and study artifacts to learn about communities and societies in the
past.
With connections in essentially both science and humanities, anthropology is interdisciplinary as researchers
require to be able to build conjunctions in many areas of biology, society, culture and language. These overlaps
convey the complexity and constitute the layers of diversity which anthropologists are expected to recognize,
understand and apply in solving contemporary social problems.
The second chapter encapsulates how culture is at the heart of anthropology. To understand humans, we must
start from their culture and their upbringing in society to better understand their shared behavior, traditions,
customs, beliefs as well as verbal and non-verbal communication between them. Our culture dictates our natural
tendencies and governs how we advance with day to day life including when we have breakfast or dinner. We
develop personalities, core values, adaptability and success from our culture. By examining ancestral primates
or animals otherwise, evidence from research (Mercader et al. 200; Wilford 2007b) suggests that animals have
purposeful thinking which contributes to culture.
Culture has spread and become more accessible all around the world because of mass media, migration and
modern transportation and diffused to many regions of the world.
The third chapter focuses on what anthropologists do and the methodologies they use to conduct fieldwork
called ethnography. Some of these strategies entail choosing a sample and then conducting observations,
interviews and surveys etc. to gather as much data as possible. Individuals considered as the most competent
determined by experience, talent or skill may often lead and represent a group of people and usually give the
most useful information. Emic versus etic approaches help distinguish between native perceptions versus the
ethnographer’s own observations respectfully and anthropologists tend to focus more on small scale, non-
industrial societies which makes method of approach a vital component in research.
Lastly, the fourth chapter details the many forms of language and the ways in which we communicate including
verbal and non-verbal communication. Kinesics, the study of body movement, allows us to read people’s
stance, gesture and expression from behavioral cues. The structure of language is complex and derivations in
grammar, pronunciation, lexicon etc. help us perceive different messages to understand one another better.
Languages reveal clues about historical background, upbringing and identify cultural similarities and
differences. However, people are not bound to speak one language nowadays because they can simply learn
others.
Appendix
Kottak, Conrad Phillip. “What Is Anthropology.” Mirror for Humanity, 11th ed., McGraw Hill Education, 2018,
p. 17.
Rahema Velmi