What is Anthropology?
I just now realized that this whole blog is centered on anthropology and its impact in my life, yet I have not explained what it is! Let’s dive into the basics so we’re all on the same page.
I fell in love with the study in my sophomore year of college, after a difficult first year. I was not entirely satisfied or happy with my business major and decided to speak with the department chair more about the anthropology major. I had already taken one anthro course that was required for my college general education and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The class talked about evolution, monkeys and chimps, sex and gender, sports, aggression, biology, cells, culture… sooo many topics. She recommended I take a few anthropology courses and the rest is history.
Simply put, anthropology is the study of humanity and what makes us human. There are four sub-fields of anthropology in the United States: biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics. Archaeology is included because of the U.S.’ history with Indigenous people. Anthropology is considered both a social science and a humanities area of study. Anthropologists are needed everywhere and should be hired into every field in the workforce (definitely not a biased opinion ;). Our unique worldview and academic background makes anthropologists knowledgeable in many fields and instances, capable of nuanced thinking, critical engagement, and so much more. Just read on to see exactly what I mean.
Biological Anthropology
Bio-anth looks closely at our biology and human behaviors. Anthropologists in this field look closely at the theory of evolution while studying primate behavior, disease and development, human growth, and more. They also look towards our hominin ancestors to better understand humans today. There is definitely more to this sub-field and I hope I’m not disappointing my professors and peers with this short description, but I hope it gives readers a small glimpse into bio-anth.
I briefly became a primatologist when I studied mantled howler monkeys in Costa Rica during the summer of 2016. I woke up every morning at 5 am, put on my knee-high rain boots, packed a backpack full of supplies and snacks, and studied monkey behavior for hours. My watch was set to go off at every minute so I could mark in my waterproof journal what the monkeys were doing for that minute. The experience definitely wasn’t my passion, but I found that overall it was very empowering and eye-opening to what a bio anthropologist might do when conducting field research.
Also, I hear bio anthropologists have the best field stories, so it’s definitely in your favor to befriend and support these anthropologists!
Notable biological anthropologists: Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Paul Farmer (medical anthropologist, but I think that falls under here?), Robert Saposky, Jonathan M. Marks
When I was in the rain forest one day, I took my phone out and realized I had a strong Wi-Fi signal. I then proceeded to take multitudes of photos that I look back on dearly. Here is one of those photos. I don’t know why I decided to look away from the camera with my binoculars, but like I said, I like looking back at these photos because of that.
Cultural Anthropology
Margaret Mead’s “Coming of Age in Samoa” | (c) Goodreads
Cultural anth is a little harder for me to explain because there is so much to it. It’s the study of cultures, customs, people, traditions, ritual, and more. Essentially, anthropologists in this field study different cultures, often looking at history and politics, and applying that to their research. This research can be compiled into an ethnography, which is a written account of the people, identity, traditions (etc.) of a certain culture. The most popular ethnography in America is probably anthropologist Margaret Mead’s Coming of Age in Samoa (1928). In this book, Mead accounts what she learned when she conducted ethnographic field research in Samoa, including the customs, lifestyle, tasks, and active sex life of adolescent girls and boys in Samoa.
I conducted ethnographic field research during my anthropological methods class in college. I chose to study at a high-end mall, observing the kind of people shopping there, what they purchased, and how long they spent time at certain areas and stores. This may sound pretty easy and straightforward but oh my gosh did I struggle. It turns out, even when you explicitly say you’re practicing your interviewing skills for a school project that won’t be published anywhere, nobody in retail stores wants to be interviewed. My difficulty in capturing data was data in itself and told me a lot about the culture, attitudes, and fears when working at a retail store.
I absolutely love cultural anthropology and would go back to study this in a heartbeat.
Notable cultural anthropologists: Franz Boas, Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, Bronisław Malinowski, Zora Neale Hurston, Clifford Geertz
There’s soooo many more people to include on this list, but I hope this list will provide a starting point from doing your own research! :)
This book is written by my cultural anthropology professor and undergraduate advisor, Mythri Jegathesan, centered on her research of working women in Sri Lanka. I haven’t read it yet, but I’m really looking forward to reading about her research that she’s told us all about in our classes! Ethnographies are incredibly captivating and full of rich details, and I’m sure “Tea & Solidarity” is no different. Link to purchase and read! | (c) Barnes & Noble
Thank you Mythri for allowing me to advertise your book on this post :)
Archaeology
This is the one you’ve probably heard about and seen the most in pop culture. Except archaeology is not like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider games. In fact, a lot of what they’re doing in those movies and video games are pretty destructive of important artifacts and locations. In addition, a lot of the artifacts in pop culture are taken out of their original finding place, leaving no contextual information for archaeologists. Way to go, Indy.
Archaeology is the study of human history through excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains (thank you Oxford Languages for this definition). Another way of thinking about it is that archaeologists look at the remains at sites, including pottery sherds, coprolite, and other trash that was left behind ages ago. Yes, trash. Archaeologists study the refuse that groups left behind at sites, which tell them a lot about our history. Archaeologists also dig at excavation sites in squares! This is because they work using an organized, grid system. When they find an artifact, it has to be photographed, cleaned, and cataloged. It’s location and context of where it was found is also crucial to the research method.
Things that aren’t archaeology include the study of dinosaurs (paleontology), hunting for treasure, grave digging (I don’t think I need to explain why this is wrong, right?), fighting bad guys, or ancient aliens (hint: its racist).
I did some archaeological research for my introduction to archaeology course, including mapping and measuring an area, and studying artifacts to determine their age. I really really wish I could have done more, such as excavating at a site or analyzing findings, but alas, the opportunity hath not presented itself. (I later learned an archaeological summer internship was offered at my school a year after I graduated. I’m still healing from this pain.)
Notable archaeologists: Heinrich Schliemann, Louis Leakey, William F. Albright, Stuart Struever, Mark Lehner, Kathleen Kenyon, Howard Carter
Linguistic Anthropology
This is the branch of anthropology that I know the least about because there weren’t that many courses offered on it at my university. For that reason, I am referring to Wikipedia and other online sources for information. Linguistic anth is the study of how languages influences life. Linguists study how language structure and use change over time, how communication is shaped by language, how language forms social identity and group membership, and develops a common cultural representation of certain cultures.
Again, I have not taken an linguistic anth course, so I am not super knowledgeable on the topic. That only means there is room to improve and learn more! I do know that much of the theory and methods of studying liguistics was adopted by the other sub-fields of anthropology.
Notable linguists: Noam Chomsky, Eve Clark, Steven Pinker, Paul Grice, Edward Sapir
Am I an Anthropologist?
I often wonder if I should consider myself an anthropologist since I have my degree in the field, yet do not study it today. Truthfully, yes I do consider myself an anthropologist. I worked incredibly hard to earn my degree, being the first in my family to do so at a four-year university. I wrote research proposals, conducted field research, got permanent mud stains on my boots, studied to an extent all four sub-fields, read many foundational works by anthropologists, completed and presented my senior capstone, and finally, walked the stage at my graduation from Santa Clara University in 2018. In every thought I have, every film or policy I critique, even friend I call out to do better, my anthropological background has shaped me in every sense.
I earned the title of anthropologist, so I am going to embrace it.
I hope I gave y’all a solid foundation and idea of what anthropology is! There is so much more that I left out (that I’ll probably remember as soon as I publish this), but if you have any other questions on anthropology, please ask away! I can also point out great books and ethnographies to read, entertaining stories of mine as a primatologist and researcher, and other significant voices in anthropology you should be aware of.
Anthropologists are extremely passionate about what they study and about our world. I hope I conveyed that well in this short introduction.
Until next time.
xoxo
