Social Anthropology:::Chapter 1

An introduction to social Anthropology
by D.N Majumdar + T.N Madan

Chapter 1

Prolegomena

Defination:
Anthropology studies the emergence and development of man from the physical, Cultural and Social points of view.

Scope:
1)Physical Anthropology = Human body evolution @biology +Zoology + Chemistry+ Anatomy etc.
2)Prehistory = Cultural Anthropology @Paleontology + Archeology etc
3)History =Cultural Anthropology @Sociology + Phsycology +Pshycatry +history etc
4)Ethnology = distribution of diff races and culture across space. @various type of social life.
5)Applied Anthropology= Forensic + policy for developing and underdeveloped etc

diagram of scope ↓ (Image below)

Scope of Anthropology



Relation of b/w different discipline:

1) Physical and Cultural:
>> significance of Circumcision + Filing of teeth among Toda tribe(Nilgiri) + Tattoo marks etc.

2)Pre-History and Cultural :
>>Prehistory deals withing the limit of Archeological + Palaeontological and geological limits in the absense of written record………………Hence  expert interpretation of Cultural value is required.
>>Simmilarly Cultural Anthropology  without Pre-history wont provide information of origin.
>>Hence = Cultural Anthropology without pre-history would be rootless, and prehistory without cultural anthropology would be  fruitless.
Pre-historian sense of time complements the cultural anthropologists totalitarian studies(holistic).


Why we study Primitive Society:
>>All humans are belong to seame principal variants..therefore its prudent to study simple one.
>>In start Evolutionary Anthropologist chosed primitive society due to colonial mindset.
>>Now Anthropologist studies it delibeatively
>> Two benefits:
a)Conceptual= studying primitive society helps us to understand ourselve in a better way.
b) Methodological =More convenient to fashion tools of study on the anvil of primitice society, and then with due modifications apply them to the more complex urban society…….This approch is called Microcosmic study by Raymon Firth [The study of Microcosom (The bigger unit) through the study of microcosm(the smaller unit)].

Is Anthropology is a Natural Science or Social science?
 
▼ Anthropology­­­ --- A Natural science:
Man is a part of nature and hence social life of man was held to be automatically subject to the laws of nature.


▼Antrhopology---dualilty of opinion
Man’s life and nature are two diferent thing…followed by mainly German idealists.

▼ Anthropology--- A Social science:
A human being is naturally given thing; but social life, although it is rooted in the bio-pshychic nature of man, does not remain tied down to the organic-cum-pshychic level.
human nature does not decide which type food to eat, how to marry, what to wear etc

A society is a system of social relation; these social relations are products of history; they are held together by moral values and not by natural force..

Conclusion:

Its not possible to fit Anthropology in one frame.
for ex- Physical Anthropology is more akin to natural science like Chemistry, anatomy, zoology, Paelentology, Archeology, Geology etc.
While Cultural Anthropology is akin to History ie. Social science.

Since every branch of anthro be it Physical or Cultural are mainly used ultimately to understand the human society; hence such holistic approach is drifting Antrhopology in large towards Social science.


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