Chapter 1 Cultural Anthropology

How did anthropology help disprove assumptions by American educators in the 1960s that African American schoolchildren rarely drank milk because they were poor and uneducated?

Anthropological research has shown that many ethnic groups in different parts of the world, including Asians, Arabs, Jews, and African Americans, avoid fresh milk because they cannot digest it.

Consider the following subfields of anthropology: archaeology, primatology, paleoanthropology, ethnology, and linguistic anthropology. Group these subfields into either biological anthropology or cultural anthropology, and explain your answer.

Anthropology has many subfields and they can be classified as either cultural or biological anthropology. The following are subfields: Archaeology is the study of ancient/past cultures by using remains, such as fossils. They try and explain changes in the cultures of the people, which therefore causes this to fall under the cultural anthropology group. Primatology is the study of primates. They are usually biologist and try to discover purely human characteristics. Since it deals with biology and the physical side of things, it falls under the biological anthropology group. Paleoanthropology studies the beginning and growth of humans and how they've changed over time. In order to do this, they study fossils and remains. They use physical materials to prove their ideas and causes this to be classified as biological anthropology. Ethnology is the study of the past and present cultures and how they vary and are similar. Research is done on the cultures and customs of the past and present. Therefore, it is classified as cultural anthropology. Linguistic anthropology is the study of languages. Research is done on the culture of the people and how the language is used, which therefore classifies it as cultural anthropology.

What is the relevance of anthropology? Give at least three examples of anthropological knowledge being applied to real-world problems.

Basic research anthropologist are usually those who are employed in colleges, museums, or universities. They spend their time working in classrooms or labs. Although, applied anthropologist work in a various selection of jobs including: government agencies, businesses, law offices, schools, hospitals, etc. It is called applied anthropology because the anthropologist is able to apply it to everyday life and use it to enhance their local community. Anthropology is a very relevant study. Knowledge learned from anthropology can be applied to every day life in the real world. Without a background of anthropology, we can easily offend and be offended by other cultures. It also allows us to appreciate God's great creation and design. God is such a creative God and has unique formed every culture. Additionally, it helps us deal with many types of conflict on a global scale and avoid wars. Anthropology is used in many different fields. It is used in the military to equip troops to be respectful of other cultures. For instance, troops during the Vietnam war, were trained about the vietnamese culture. Missionaries also benefit from study of anthropology. It allows them to reach and connect with other people groups if they have an understanding of how their culture works. Exchange students also benefit highly from a study of anthropology. It equips them to enter into a new country and new culture without offending their hosts.

Anthropologists are becoming more and more specialized. Does this specialization complement or weaken the historically unique anthropological perspective?

Because time continues on, there is always new information to know. Our world is so vast and makes it nearly impossible to clearly understand each subject and truly master it. Therefore, more and more people are becoming specialized. Although, this in no way isolates them from contact with other fields of science. Because anthropologists are specialist in only one field, they must speak with other specialist about subjects they know little about. Although other fields of science may be used, anthropology still has a very unique outlook. Specialization actually complements the unique view. The world has more of a demand for specialist.

Which type of anthropological knowledge is often applied to forensic investigations?

Biological

Which of the following may be trained in any or all of the subfields of anthropology?

Ethnologist

Ethnology overlaps with more specific disciplines, such as literature, economics, or religious studies. What, then, is the distinctive feature of ethnology?

It is interested in how these various aspects of life fit together.

What is the primary purpose of an ethnologist's fieldwork?

It provides the data needed to describe the typical behavior and thought of a group of people.

How does specialization affect an anthropologist's connection to other disciplines?

Most anthropologists have some overlap with other disciplines that share their research.

What is the difference between a paleontologist and a paleoanthropologist?

Paleontologists study many different types of animals, while paleoanthropologists focus on humans and their relatives.

What is the holistic approach? Demonstrate how the holistic approach is a vital component of the anthropological perspective.

The Holistic approach is a system that allows anthropologists to study various aspects of life. Such as the physical environment, history of a certain land, study family dynamics, language, patterns of resting, political system, religion, fashion, and economic system. Anthropologists use this to study people groups as a whole. For example, the holistic approach was applied to African Americans and in doing so research suggested that the reason they don't include very much dairy in their diet is because they are lactose intolerant. The scope of anthropology is extremely vast and thus requires an approach that includes the various aspects of daily life.

What drives anthropologists to choose such a broad subject of study?

They believe that any generalization about humans should be applicable across time and space.

What is the focus of cross-cultural researchers?

They hope to discover general patterns about cultural traits.

Which of the following can encompass any of the four main subfields of anthropology?

applied anthropology

Unlike ethnologists, ethnographers __________.

describe a given society based on their own fieldwork

Anthropology helps us realize that people are physically and culturally adapted to their particular __________.

environment

Which subdiscipline is now frequently referred to as simply "cultural anthropology"?

ethnology

A distinguishing feature of anthropology is the goal of understanding how aspects of human experience such as local history, physical environment, family life, language, settlement patterns, and religion are interrelated. This approach to culture is referred to as __________.

holistic approach

Anthropology is literally the study of __________.

humans

Compared to the historian, the archaeologist is __________.

more likely to study how societies change over time

Why is it incomplete to simply call anthropology "the study of humans"?

other jobs study humans, too

What proportion of anthropologists today are applied, or practicing, anthropologists?

over half

How do we know that all living people belong to the species Homo sapiens?

people can interbreed

The __________ is interested in what people speak about and how they interact conversationally.

sociolinguist

Compared to anthropologists of previous years, an anthropologist today is more likely to __________.

specialize in 1 topic area

What is culture?

the customary ways that a particular population or society thinks and behaves

The anthropological curiosity is primarily interested in __________.

typical characteristics of a cultural group

Unlike other linguists, anthropological linguists are primarily interested in __________.

unwritten languages

Which of the following areas of study is a part of anthropology?

why contemporary peoples have different cultures