Anthropology1 Discussion Forum

ANTHROPOLOGY 1:

PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Instructor: Nicole Buyagawan

“Anthropology’s holism involves its study of the whole of the human condition— biological and cultural variation in time and space. This incorporates human biology, language, society, and culture, past and present, in all cultures, ancient and modern, simple and complex.”

-Kottak and Kozaitis

We are the only species to ponder our own existence and wonder how

we fit into the spectrum of life on earth

~Jurmain, physical anthropologist

Anthropology is a science, A body of knowledge gained through observation and experimentation and it uses both Qualitative and Quantitative data collection methods

What Is Anthropology?

 Comprises four subfields:

 Cultural Anthropology

 Archaeology

 Linguistic anthropology

 Physical (or Biological) Anthropology

 Offers a means of explaining variation in human

adaptations and populations

Cultural Anthropology

 Study of the global patterns of belief and behavior

found in modern and historical cultures.

 Cultural anthropology began with an interest in

traditional societies, led early anthropologists to study

and record lifeways that are now all but

extinct.

 Recent years have seen a shift to studying

current modern populations and trends

Ethnography

The primary “tool”, or research methodology of Cultural

Anthropology is the ethnography.

 Detailed descriptive studies of human societies.

 Form the basis for comparative studies of numerous

cultures

 Ethnographic techniques are applied to the study of

diverse subcultures and their interactions with one another

in contemporary areas

Archaeology

 Study of earlier cultures and lifeways through scientific

recovery, analysis, and interpretation of material

remains of past societies (artifacts).

Linguistic Anthropology

 The study of human speech and language, its

development, change, structure and use, and how it is

used to understand human culture

 Study of language acquisition and

Evolution

 Relationships between the evolution

of language and culture

Physical Anthropology

Focuses on human behavior and biology, as well as

that of our non-human and extinct relatives, seen

through the lens of evolution, adaptation and

environment.

 Also known as Biological Anthropology

 Several subfields

Paleoanthropology

 Sub-field of Physical

Anthropology

 Paleoanthropology - the

study of human

evolution, as evidenced

in the fossil record

 Interdisciplinary

approach to the study of

earlier hominins, their

chronology, physical

structure, archaeological

remains, habitats, etc.

Studies of Human Variation

 Sub-field of Physical Anthropology

 Population studies examine how

groups respond physiologically to

environmentally induced stress i.e.

temperature, altitude

 Measure variables such as a subject’s

heart rate, blood pressure, and

oxygen consumption.

 These factors can be

genetically/biologically influenced

Anthropometry

 Sub-field of Physical

Anthropology

 The science study of the

proportions and measurements

of the human body

 Identifying human variation due to

possible adaptive significance

 Identify genetic and other

evolutionary factors that produced

variation

 Comparisons can be made to

study health and nutrition

Genetics

 Sub-field of Physical Anthropology

 Very interdisciplinary field

 The study of gene structure and action and the

patterns of inheritance of traits from parent to

offspring.

 Genetic mechanisms are the foundation for

evolutionary change.

 Studies of evolution and migration

Osteology

 Sub-field of Physical Anthropology

 The study of the human skeleton

 Bio-archaeology – the study of skeletal remains from

archaeological sites

Paleopathology

 Sub-field of Physical Anthropology

 The study of disease and trauma in archaeologically-

derived skeletons

 Investigates the prevalence of trauma, certain infectious

diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and conditions that may

leave evidence in bone

Forensic Anthropology

 Sub-field of Physical Anthropology

 Application of anthropological techniques to legal issues

 Identification of individuals in mass graves or after disasters

Primatology

 Sub-field of Physical Anthropology

 The study of the living nonhuman primates

Applied Anthropology

 The practical application of anthropological and

archaeological theories and techniques.

 There are Applied Anthropologists working in all four

subfields

 User research, social science research, community projects such as

education, health etc. (Cultural)

 Cultural resource management, forensic archeology, museum studies

(Archeology)

 Marketing and market research (Linguistic)

 Forensic, (Physical)

Medical Anthropology

 An applied subfield of cultural anthropology that

explores the relationship between various cultural

attributes and health and disease.

Anthropological Perspective

 A broad perspective that helps us understand the diversity of the human experience within the context of biological and behavioral continuity with other species.

 By learning about cultures other than our own, we can avoid an ethnocentric view of other cultures.

 By recognizing that we have similarities with other animals, we may recognize that they have a place in nature just as we do.

 The universal habit of humans to view other cultures

through the beliefs and values of their own culture.

 People tend to feel their culture is right and moral as

opposed to different cultures who are often seen as

strange, wrong, or “savage.”

Ethnocentrism

Cultural Relativity

 Cultural relativism is the view all that cultures have

merits within their own historical and environmental

contexts and should first be understood within those

contexts

 The view that all cultures should be looked at

through the values and practices of that society or

group. And not judged by the standards of another.

Terms to Remember All Semester

 Evolution

 A change in the genetic structure of a population

from one generation to the next.

 Adaptation

 An anatomical, physiological, or behavioral

response of organisms or populations to the

environment.

 Adaptations result from evolutionary change.

Terms to Remember All Semester:

 Evolution

Microevolution

Small genetic changes that occur within a species.

Macroevolution

Changes that occur only after many generations,

such as the appearance of a new species

(speciation).

Continuum

 A set of relationships in which all components fall

along a single integrated spectrum.

 All life reflects a single biological continuum.

Behavior

 Anything organisms do that involves action in response to internal or external stimuli.

 The response of an individual, group, or species to its environment.

 Responses may or may not be deliberate,

and aren’t necessarily the result of conscious decision making.

Strategies humans use to adapt to their environment:

Culture

 technologies

 subsistence patterns

 housing types

 clothing

 religion

 marriage and family

 values

 gender roles

Culture

 Culture is learned, and the process of learning one’s

culture begins at birth.

 The human predisposition to assimilate culture and

function within it is profoundly influenced by biological

factors.

 Over time, culture and biology interacted in such a

way that humans are said to be the result of

biocultural evolution.

Our biology, culture and survival methods are all

intertwined and inter-connected, not one aspect can be

separated from the others.

 In other words, we live within a bio-cultural system

 Ability to eat a food better survival rate higher

reproduction dependence on food source

change in culture to support food production

Interwoven and Complex

Worldview

 General cultural orientation or perspective of the

external environment shared by members of a society

and in particular ways that distinguish that culture from

all others.