CHAPTER 4

ANTHROPOLOGY
AS A SCIENTIFIC AND HUMANISTIC
DISCIPLINE
ANTROPOLOGY
Greek word anthropos which means man
or human being and logos or logia
which means to study
It is the scientific study of man or human being.
Defined as that branch of knowledge which
deals with the scientific study of man, his work,
his body, his behavior and values, in time and
space.
The exploration and study of human diversity
around the world.
ANTHROPOLOGY AS A HUMANISTIC DISCIPLINE

- as a humanistic discipline, the central

focus of investigation in Anthropology
is the study of man.
*anthropology is considered holistic in
its approach in the study of man.
*anthropology is considered with all
dimensions of humanity.
ANTHROPOLOGY AS A SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE

-as a discipline, anthropology uses the

scientific approach in the study of
human beings and their achievements.
STANDARD PROCEDURES OF SCIENTIFIC
INVESTIGATION:

1. Identification of the problem

2. Gathering of data
A. Observation
B. Participant observation
C. Interview
D. The historical method
E. Comparative method
F. Archival research
G. Content analysis
3. Analysis of data
BRANCHES OF SUBFIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY

1. Physical anthropology or biological

anthropology
- deals with the study of man's biological foundation,
race evolution, genetic inheritance

A. Racial history - deals with the study of the nature of

races
B. Paleontologists - deals with the origin of man through
the study of fossil evidence for human evolution
C. Human genetics - deals with the study of various
ways of inheritance that take place in man
BRANCHES OF SUBFIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY

D. Primatology - deals with the study of primates or

hominids of the genus Homo, especially Homo sapiens
E. Neuroanthropology - deals with the study of the
evolution of the human brain, and of culture as a
neurological adaptation of the species to its
environment
f. Human osteology - deals with the study of skeletal
materials
g. Forensic anthropology - deals with the analysis and
identification of human remains in the service of
coroners or medical examiners.
HUMAN EVOLUTION OR ANTHROPOGENESIS

is the part of biological evolution

concerning the emergence of Homo
sapiens as a distinct species from other
hominans, great apes and placental
animals.
evolution - means the slow process of
change from a simple to a more
complex form or structure.
THREE MAIN THEORIES OF
EVOLUTION
1. Lamarkism - is remembered for his belief
in the inheritability of acquired character.
He is credited for stating for the first time
that evolution is a gradual process and it is
a general fact covering all forms of life.
2. Darwinism - "the origin of species" 1859,
Charles Darwin postulated that human
evolution has occurred through the process
of natural selection.
THREE MAIN THEORIES OF
EVOLUTION
3. Synthetic theory or neo-Darwinism
- this theory postulates that human evolution
proceeds principally as a result of the interaction
between five indispensable processes:
*mutation
*genetic recombination
*changes in the chromosome number and
structure
*natural selection
*reproductive isolation
STAGES IN HUMAN EVOLUTION
The human evolutionary process
started during the Miocene epoch when
the family Hominoidea diverged into
two subgroups; the Pongidea (apes)
and the Hominidea (humans).
 Dryopithecus - this genus which
means oak wood apes lived in Africa,
China , India , and Europe in densely
forested tropical lowlands.
Ramapithecus -fossils remains were
found in the open grassland in Punjab,
India. Fossil evidence indicates a
hominid status and adaptation.
 Australopithecus or
Australopithecus Africanus - this
genus is the immediate forerunner of
the genus Homo. The first fossil of this
genus was discovered by Raymond
Dart at Taung, South Africa.
HOMO GENUS
The word "homo" from the Latin
"humanus" means "human" or "man".
1. Homo Habilis - this genus is the first
species of the genus Homo, lived from
about 2.4 to 1.4 million years ago in South
and East Africa in the late Pliocene epoch
when it diverged from the Australopithecus.
It had smaller molars and larger brains.
"Handy man" or tool - making man"
 2. Homo Erectus - 1st fossils of homo
erectus were discovered by Eugene
Dubios in 1891 on Java, Indonesia. He
named it PITHECANTHROPUS
ERECTUS meaning the "erect ape
man". It includes Java Man and Peking
Man.
 3. Homo sapiens neanderthalensis -
Homo erectus gradually evolved into it.
Homo sapiens neanderthalensis which lived
from about 250,000 to as recent as 30,000
years ago. The word "sapiens" means wise
or intelligent.
4. Homo sapiens sapiens - 1st skeletal
remains of this Homo genus were found in
Europe and were named Cro - Magon. They
were foragers and hunters.
2. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
- Cultural Anthropology deals with the
investigation, often through long term,
intensive field study (including
participant - observation methods ), of
the culture and social organization of a
particular people.
Cultural Anthropologists are also
often called ethnologists and
ethnographers.
SUBDIVISION OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:

A. Ethnography - derived from Greek

word "ethnos" which means 'people'
and "graphein" which means "writing".
- description of the culture of a people or
an ethnic group.
B. Ethnology - is the analysis,
comparison, and contrast of cultures of
people. It is also concerned with the
study of the dynamics of culture.
 C. Social Anthropology - is on a
higher level of abstraction than
ethnology. In social anthropology, one
evolves generalizations about social life
and conduct based on the ethnography
and ethnology of the culture under
study.
 3. Archeology - is a branch of Anthropology
which deals with the study of man's culture
and society in the past. It is concerned with
the study of documentary materials like
fossils and artifacts.
Fossils - are remnants of the past that have
organic life which withstood the test of time
and forces of nature.
Artifacts - are man - made materials
modified by past human activities.
ARCHEOLOGY HAS THE FOLLOWING SUBDISCIPLINES:

A. Prehistoric archeology - deals

with the study and the reconstruction
of the culture of prehistoric society and
ancient civilizations such as those of
African and Asian civilizations. B.
Classical Archaeology - deals with
the study on the history of art and
architecture of classical Greek and
Roman civilization.
 C. Ethno Archeology - deals with the
study of the material remains of ethnic
groups and tribal groups based on
ethnic diversity, religion, language,
Industrial Archeology - deals with
the study and reconstruction of man's
economic, pre-industrial and industrial
activities thousands of years ago. race
and other ethnic categories.
 4. Linguistic - this is another branch
of Anthropology which refers to the
systematic study of recorded and
unrecorded languages all over the
world. It also deals how culture affects
language, and vice-versa.
 The study of how languages change
over time and how they may be related
is known as historical linguistics. The
area of linguistics which is interested in
how contemporary languages differ-
especially in the way they differ in
construction is called descriptive or
structural linguistics. The study of
how languages is used in actual speech
is called socio-linguistics.
CAREERS IN ANTHROPOLOGY
1. Science and Education
A. Teachers
B. Independent researchers
C. Academic and administrative posts
D. Research directors
E. Program officers
 2. Non-governmental Organizations
A. Heads and advocates of non-commercial
and non-governmental organizations in the
struggle with the ethnic and sexual
discrimination, poverty, human rights
violations, and carry out actions in
protection and preservation of a cultural
heritage and many other social problems.
B. Private museum curators
 3. State Domain or Governmental
organizations
A. Governmental mediators of various
ethnic and racial groups
 B. Heads and staff, advisers, consultants, experts of
governmental departments, agencies and officers on:
1. Cultural resources and cultural heritage
2. Social planning
3. National Minorities / cultural communities
4. Struggle against poverty, drugs addiction,
unemployment, criminality, etc.
5. Population policy
6. Social development
7. Environmental protection 8. Governmental museum
curators
 4. Corporate Domain or Business
Domain
A. Human resources manager
B. Sales manager
C. Marketing manager
D. Advertising manager
E. Researcher in market conditions,
consumer preferences, attitudes of
Employees, etc.
 F. Strategic development manager
G. Corporate culture manager
H. Staff manager
I. Journalist
J. Public relations