Southern New Hampshire University
ATH-101 Introduction to Anthropology
What are the key components of the anthropological perspective?
Anthropology is the study of human commonalities and diversity. It seeks answers to questions
about the different ways of being human, the commonalities and differences between societies in
different parts of world, the impact of different lifestyles and how these developed over time.
There are three key components of the anthropological perspective- they are comparative
or cross-cultural studies, holism and cultural relativism.
Comparative or cross-cultural studies
It is not possible to understand human diversity without studying diverse cultures. An
anthropologists looks at different societies with fresh eyes and tries to understand:
1. How the society is held together.
2. What makes it function the way it does.
3. How the society has adapted to the environment.
4. The main modes of communication within the society.
5. How the people’s past has shaped their culture.
Only then will an anthropologist be able to trace the impact of different forces on the formation
of human culture.
Holism
A society’s culture is a web of values, beliefs, traditions, and practices that are interdependent
and interconnected. When an anthropologist attempts to understand a culture, he or she cannot do
so in a piecemeal manner. Instead, they must take into consideration the whole culture and the
equilibrium between the different parts.
This means that the anthropologist needs to consider:
1. The economics of the culture, including the mode of production and the relations of
production.
2. The kinship system, including the system of descent, marriage practices and living
arrangements after marriage.
3. The religion, beliefs, and rituals of the society in question.
4. The politics, including how the society is organized, who has power and how that power
is obtained.
5. The balance of power between men and women.
All of these parts are intertwined and integrated in a manner that makes sense in the
environmental (for example, fertile lands or arid desert) and historical context of the society.
When embarking on an ethnography, the anthropologist must take into account of each part of
the equation or they risk misunderstanding the whole.
Cultural Relativism
Another key component of the anthropological perspective is cultural relativism. When an
anthropologist is studying a different culture, he or she cannot apply the values of his or her own
culture to form judgements regarding the actions and beliefs of the people they are studying. It is
important to avoid taking an ethnocentric view of the culture under study, because otherwise it
will be impossible for the anthropologist to truly understand the behavior and motivations of the
society in question.
Why are these components of the anthropological perspective important?
Understanding the culture of a society is not straightforward. Not only is it an intricate web, but
the parts are constantly moving and changing over time in response to changes in the
environment. This means that an anthropologists must always keep these three components of
the anthropological perspective in mind, in order to truly understand the where, the why, the
how, the what, and the when of the culture under study.
