Anthropology Definition

1. Understanding and investigation of the structure and biological evolution of the human being, as well as the sociocultural aspects and its link with the environment.

2. Analysis and projection on the whole of society or a sample of it, regarding demographic, economic, cultural factors, etc.

3. Study of human behavior before a particular event strictly speaking in its history.

Etymology: by latin anthropologywith respect to the Greek ἀνθρωπολόγος (anthropologists), built by ἄνθρωπος (anthropos), referring to ‘man’, ‘human being’, and λόγος (logos), as ‘knowledge’, ‘study’.

Grammatical category: noun fem.
in syllables: an-tro-po-lo-gí-a.

Anthropology

Anthropology is dedicated to the study of the human being, whose topics are very varied and highly connected. Many times, to know a single topic it is necessary to investigate others in the course of an investigation. For example, to answer the question How do people who live in the Lacandona jungle eat?an anthropologist would have to attend to various subtopics: animal and plant species that are native to the Lacandona jungle, how do people get these organisms, how do they prepare them, who gets and prepares the food, do they eat things that do not come from the jungle? , among other questions that might arise along the way.

branches

As the object of study of anthropology is so broad, it is worth dividing it into subdisciplines, and then we have the social anthropology that studies the cultural expression of contemporary human groups; For example, a social anthropologist would be interested in the performance of a ritual, the myths of a society, or the way in which certain commercial activities are carried out.

Also, there is the physical anthropologywhich is interested in both the biological and the cultural aspect of human beings, then topics such as human evolution, the body composition of people or the osteological characterization of ancient burials are investigated, always considering that culture is manifested in each aspect of life would therefore leave its mark on the organic matter that makes up our bodies, even in various already extinct species (such as Homo neanderthalensis) and not only in Homo sapiens.

Likewise, anthropological disciplines are considered the archeologythe ethnology and the linguistics. Archeology is dedicated to studying the remains of material culture left by populations in their passage through time, that is, its object of study focuses on ancient civilizations. Ethnology is very similar to social anthropology, they have the same object of study and methodologies, but the history of how they arose is different and that makes them separate disciplines. Linguistics investigates what is related to human language, its changes over time, its rules and the diversity of languages ​​that exist. Researchers who develop in these disciplines can collaborate on the same project, so a physical anthropologist could work on an excavation describing the burials found and an archaeologist the offerings that accompany them.

As part of these anthropological disciplines, different areas are developed that require a certain degree of specialization, for example, symbolic anthropology, political anthropology, economic anthropology, osteology, somatology, genetic anthropology, forensic anthropology, anthropology of the body, anthropology of kinship. and many more.

What does an anthropologist do? How do you carry out your investigation?

To carry out a research project, an anthropologist needs to define specifically what he is going to study within the wide spectrum of possibilities and topics that he could touch on. After defining it, he designs a plan that includes activities such as a bibliographic review to find out what other researchers say on the same topic, field work is also considered, that is, the trip he will make to the place where the people who are the protagonists of his study live or where the excavation in which he will participate is located, on this trip the anthropologist keeps a record of everything he observes and hears during his stay, that is, a field diary that the more detailed the more useful it will be. When the fieldwork is over, the anthropologist should write up his findings and conclusions so that other people can learn more about that topic.

Importance and application of anthropology

Anthropological studies are important because they help us understand other human groups that do not share our worldview or traditions; This is how respect for difference and appreciation of human diversity in the world is fostered.

Knowing other human groups also makes it possible to design and apply public policies or allocate resources more effectively. For example, if the government of some country seeks to help an indigenous community with housing issues, it would have to investigate what kind of materials people use to build their houses in the traditional way and how they distribute the space; This is important because a cement and block house with a flat roof would not be the most appropriate in a jungle climate where it rains a lot and humidity is high. Such a house would keep the heat in, which would encourage the proliferation of organisms such as fungi.

On the other hand, the traditional house, made of perishable material such as reed sticks and a sloped roof covered with palm fronds, is the most suitable, even if it seems “old-fashioned” or “uncomfortable” because it allows air to flow, water to run off and it does not accumulate on the roof, in addition to the fact that the materials are more accessible in the environment, at a very low cost and the construction is faster and easier than the other type of house. So, knowing how people live, their needs and concerns allows us to understand that these homes are not “outdated” but rather represent the best option given their circumstances. Knowing the other not only facilitates empathy, it also leads us to appreciate other ways of life.

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