1.3 Main branches of Anthropology: Scope & Relevance


Main Branches of Anthro:

A)Social-Cultural Anthropology:
>Intro:
=Social Anthro origined as colonial study specially in UK.
=earlier Scope in UK during colonial era= studied only “Social Structure” (Marriage + Family + Kinship+Political organisation + Economic Activities).
=USA increased the scope  to include  all possible cultures(Qualities not inherited).
=Gopal Saran (1983) said “It is neither feasible nor desirable to make a very sharp distinction b/w social Anthropology and Cultural Anthropology.
=Therefore now India under the influence of USA used Scope cultural Anthro(social Anthro is a subset of Cultural Anthro)……………………To avoid confusion we use Socio-Cultural Anthropology.

>Scope:
=Anything that is not inherited by Human comes under Socio-Cultural Anthro.
=May iclude= Family+ kinship+ political organisation+ law + economic activities etc.

>Relevance:
=to understand present society it involves two methods:
1)Synchronic = Social Anthropology—Same time diff location
2)Diachronic= Cultural Anthropology--- same location diff time---archeological Anthro is best way to study.
=Why and hows of scoial structure…….Hindu gods are polygamous but society is monogamous.

>Key terminology used:
=Ethnology --- Detailed discription pf a culture group primarily on comparitive lines which occassionally results in Ethnocentric writing.
=Ethnocentricism--- A belief that ones own culture is superior to others.
=Ethnography(impact of Malinowsky.. Culture should be studied with a viewpoint of its usefullness  for man )--- Detailed discription of a cultural group without comparision.


B)Biological Anthropology:
>AKA Physical Anthro
>Scope:
=Study man as a product of evolutionary process.
=Analyses human Population= Mating pattern +Blood group distribution+ disease/immunities in communities.
=Man’s interaction with Environment = adaptation and aclimatisation.

>Relevance:
=Helps us to now about the variation in human population.
=Diseases in relation to human morphological traits, hair histology, human adaptablity and immunisation.
=Demographic pattern---in breeding , out breeding, marrainge distance ,preferential mating pattern.

>How Biological Anthro is diff from Biology?
=Biological Anthro studies relationship b/w Biology and culture .


C)Archaeological Anthropology:

>Scope:
=Studies material objects as a means of describing and explaining human behaviour.
=mainly deals with Preshistoric past…bcoz historians can deal only with the written records.
=Interdisciplinary approach… suppose excavation of ground is required “we will nee d Geologists”... now if a skeleton is found beneath it “We need Physicist and chemist for dating exact time”…..to infer various meaning Paleantologists are required.

>Relevance:
=We can reconstruct the past beyond written record of human.
=Can understand evolution of culture from long distance.
=Limitation= since we can work only from material evidence we cant know stuff like, “which language they spoke what color they liked etc”


D) Linguistic Anthropology:

>Scope:
=Relationship b/w language and cultural behaviour.
=how human language developed?
=How diff languages are related to each other
=Relationship of language with other aspect of culture.
=Understand the thought process and the organisation of human mind as it is expressed in language.

>Relevance:
=Language gives us insights into culture and as such it is a valuable tool for studying and understanding people.

 


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