Chapter One

Introducing anthropology and its

subject matter

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 Todays goal:
 Define anthropology and explain the main
concerns of the discipline
 Understand the holistic development of
anthropology
 Explain the scope and subject mater of
anthropology
 Internalize the unique features of anthropology
 Contributions of anthropology in our life

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 Definition, scope and subject matter of anthropology
 1.1. Defining anthropology

The term anthropology is a compound of two

Greek words. These are:

‘anthropos’- ‘human being/mankind’ , and

‘logos’ -‘reason/study/science’

So, anthropology means ‘reason about humans’ or ‘the

study or science of humankind or humanity’.

Moreover, man has two important characteristics:

biological and cultural: It is very important to understand
that the biological and the cultural characteristics are
inseparable elements. Culture influences human physical
structures and the vise-versa.

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 In more specific terms, anthropology is a science
which:

1. Investigates the strategies for living that are

learned and shared by people as members of
human social groups;
2. Examines the characteristics that human
beings share as members of one species
(homo sapiens)
3. The diverse ways that people live in different
environments;
4. Analyses the products of social groups -
material objects (material cultures) and non-
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material creations (religion/beliefs, social
values, institutions, practices, etc).
Anthropology focuses on :
1. the origin of humans
2. the evolutionary development of humans
3. human physical, biochemical and cultural
variations
4. the material possessions and cultural
heritages of humans.

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Goals of anthropology:
Anthropology’s ultimate goal is:
to develop an integrated picture of humankind—
a goal that encompasses an almost infinite
number of questions about all aspects of our
existence. We ask, for example, what makes us
human? Why do some groups of people tend to
be tall and lanky, while others tend to be short
and stocky? Why do some groups of people
practice agriculture, while others hunt for a
living? Anthropologists are interested in all things
human.
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1.2. Subject Matter and Scope of
Anthropology

The subject matter of anthropology is very vast.

The subject covers all aspects of human ways of
life and culture, as humans live in a social group
relationship. Discovering the meaning, nature,
origin, and destiny of humanity is one of the key
concerns of anthropology.

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Anthropology is interested in some of the following questions
and issues about humans:
 Where did human species come from (i.e. what are the
origins of mankind)?
 Were human beings created in the image and likeness of
God, or were they just the products of millions of years of
the natural, evolutionary process?
 In what ways does man differ from other animal species?
 How did mankind arrive at the present stage of biological,
intellectual, and cultural development? Is there a common
human nature, and if so, what is it like?
 In what ways do humans who live in various times and
places differ?
 How can we explain why cultures vary? Such and many
other related questions are the concerns of anthropology.

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Anthropologists are, for example, interested to
know and explain why a pregnant woman in
Gumuz goes to a bush to give birth during labor,
how the Nuer practice birth control methods and
why they put horizontal line marks on their
forehead, or why the Wolayta put a circular body
mark on their cheek while the Tigreans put a
cross mark on their foreheads, etc.

Although anthropologists investigate the distinctive

features of different cultures, they also study the
fundamental similarities among people
throughout the world.
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1.3. Distinguishing Features of Anthropology
We may identify five distinguishing marks of anthropology:
1. Its Broad Scope
The main distinguishing characteristic of anthropology, the
thing that makes it different from the many other fields that
also include people as their subject matter is its broad scope.
A good way to emphasize this broad scopes to say that
anthropologists are interested in all human beings, whether
living or dead, ''primitive'' or '' civilized'' and that they are
interested in many different aspects of humans, including
their skin color, family lives, marriages, political systems,
tools, personality types, and languages.
No place or time is too remote to escape the anthropologist's
notice.

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Its Unique Approaches

I. Anthropology is Holistic: Studying one aspect of the

ways of life of a group of people by relating it to other
complex related aspects of life.

II. Anthropology is Relativistic: it tries to study and

explain a certain belief, practice or institution of a group
of people in its own context. It does not make value
judgment, i.e., declaring that ‘this belief or practice is
good’ or ‘that is bad.’
III. Anthropology is Comparative: studies certain
aspects of the culture of a group of people by comparing
it across societies and different times; i.e., the present
with the past, the modern with the traditional, etc.
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3. Emphasis on Insiders' View: focus on how the
people themselves understand about their world,
how a particular group of people explains about the
world, etc. This is what anthropologists call emic
perspective.
4. The Micro-focus: This is another distinguishing
mark of anthropology. Anthropology focuses on
small-scale society or community. The kinds of social
groups or communities anthropologists study,
whether they are in traditional or modern world, are
usually small scaled in their social organization,
economic and political structure, and tend to be
homogenous in their overall character.
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5. Its Method of Research: The hallmarks of
anthropology are qualitative research methods
such as extended fieldwork, focus- group
discussion, participant observation, in-depth and
key informant interviews. Although these
methods are now practiced in other behavioral
sciences as well, no other discipline seems to be
so associated with and employs such methods as
anthropologists.

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1.5. Contributions of Anthropology
 Anthropology’s contributions are immense.
 By studying anthropology, we get the following benefits, among
others.
 First, the anthropological perspective, with its emphasis on the
comparative study of cultures, should lead us to the conclusion
that our culture is just one way of life among many found in the
world and that it represents one way (among many possible
ways) to adapt to a particular set of environmental conditions.
 Through the process of contrasting and comparing, we gain a
fuller understanding of other cultures and our own.
 Anthropology also helps us better understand ourselves or our
own ways of life. As a mirror of human life, by studying others, we
can better understand ourselves.
 Hence, it gives opportunity to understand and to be critical about
the ways of lives of our own community

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 Second, anthropology gives us an insight into different
ways and modes of life of human society (social and
cultural diversity), which helps to understand the logic
and justification behind group behavior and cultural
practices.

 Knowledge about the rest of the world is particularly

important today because the world has become
increasingly interconnected.

 So, today it is important that we not only know something

about other peoples of the world, but also grasp how our
everyday decisions are influencing them in a multitude of
ways and how others’ decisions are also influencing ours.

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 Through its distinctive methodology of long-
term, intensive, participant-observation
research, cultural anthropology offers a unique
perspective on how local cultural groups are
engaging with the process of globalization.
 Because of its relativistic approach,
anthropology helps us to be more sensitive to
and appreciative of cultural diversity and
variability.

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 Anthropology helps us fight against prejudice and
discriminations. It helps us fight against ethnocentrism; the
belief that one's own culture and one's own way of life is
superior to others cultural, social and material life. This arises
from ignorance about other ethnic groups and their ways of
lives.
• Anthropology is also used as a tool for development.
Paying attention to local conditions is crucial to solve
community problems. The application of anthropological
knowledge and research results have become important
element to ensure people’s rights in development and able to
sustain projects' life.
• Anthropologists are better equipped with the knowledge, skills
and methods of identifying the needs and interests of local
people for the betterment and change of their lived
experiences.
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Thank You!!