The Mysteries of Anthropology

Credits To: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/anthro/

Yay! World Anthropology Day! #whyweanth

As an anthropology major myself, I am currently taking what we call ‘senior seminar.’ Basically it’s like a finishing class for the major, setting you up to find jobs and/or grad programs after you graduate. One of our recent assignments was about World Anth Day. We were asked to write a two page paper on what we would tell a junior in high school about anthropology, our interests in anthropology, and what our future plans were.

Well, this inspired me to take it a step further, and to write on this blog about the things I know about anthropology, and why I recommend it as a field of study for others. I think there is a lot of misconceptions out there about what anthropology is, and what anthropologists do, so I wanted to have this be a space to address these topics and to answer any questions people have.

So, here we go!

Well, first of all, I think I need to be honest and say that I had no idea what anthropology was when I was in highschool. I didn’t find out until I was looking at colleges I wanted to go to, and the majors they had available. Maybe this is just because I went to school in a small town, or it could be because there is not enough talk about professional fields within high school or community settings. This is why I wanted to create this resource. Not just for high schoolers, but for anyone wanting to learn about the field of anthropology.

So, what is anthropology then?

It is not…

• The study of insects (yes I got that once)
• The study of dinosaur bones (that’s paleontology)
• Whatever it is that Indiana Jones thinks he’s doing in any of his movies
• The least valuable major

It is…

• The study of people and culture
• A very diverse field
• Undersold

Anthropology is usually divided into 4 sections:

• Physical
• Culture
• Archaeology
• Linguistics

Physical anthropology, sometimes known as biological anthropology, is the study of the biological and evolutionary aspects of humans, or homo sapien sapiens. Oftentimes, these people will work in academia, researching things like human evolution. Sometimes, they work as forensic anthropologists, which I will discuss later.

Credits To: http://web.sapmed.ac.jp/anthropology/en/

Cultural anthropology consists of studying humans and their culture. Things such as how they create meaning in the life around them, how they organize their society, and much more. Basically, if a human does it, cultural anthropologists study it. This subfield is one of the most broad, and people in this area are usually researchers or professors.

Credits To: https://www.masterstudies.co.uk/MSc-Cultural-Anthropology-and-Development-Sociology/Netherlands/LeidenU/

Archaeology is about studying past cultures. Archaeologists are basically cultural anthropologists for people no longer alive. They search for and date artifacts, structures, and sometimes ancient human remains. They try to make sense of the people of the past and the legacies they left behind. They are usually employed through universities or the government.

Credits To: https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2018/july/this-is-not-mythology-archaeologists-dig-up-the-bible-at-ancient-city-of-shiloh

Linguistic anthropology focuses on language. They look at how people communicate, both now and in the past. They look at how languages influence our social lives and how they shape communication. They often work in the university setting or in the government.

Credits To: https://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/rosetta-stone-works.htm

So now that we have covered the basics, we can talk about something else; further subfields of anthropology. Of course, the four areas listed above aren’t the only ones that exist. Overtime, more cross-sections have become available, as we have begun to understand that almost anything on this planet can be linked to human culture.

To explain, I will talk about my two main interests in anthropology; Anthrozoology and Environmental Anthropology.

Anthrozoology, sometimes known as human-non-human-animal studies, studies the interactions between humans and other animals. It overlaps with many other fields, such as medicine, zoology, psychology, history, etc. While I am interested in all interactions between humans and non-human animals, I am most interested in the interactions between humans and companion animals.

Companion animals are defined as a domestic animal, an animal that has been domesticated by humans and now lives alongside us. I, being an animal lover and growing up with many pets,  have overtime become very interested in the interaction between us and them. I also, though, have become interested in the interactions between humans and ‘farm’ animals.

Credits To: https://talkinganimals.net/tag/anthrozoology-institute-at-the-university-of-bristol/

My second area of interest in anthropology is environmental anthropology. This can mean a range of things, but overall studies how humans interact with and impact our environment. One area that I am interested in within this is sustainability. Sustainability is trying to balance the environmental, economic, and social impacts affecting a certain environmental process. Many cities have begun sustainability initiatives for a variety of topics, such as with energy, green space, water management, etc.

I also am interested in the topic of agriculture. My main interests in the topic are sustainable agronomy (the science of soil management and crop production), and the meat industry. I am interested in the treatment of farm animals, and interested in looking at other options to feed the planet. Both of these areas of agriculture contribute heavily to climate change as well, which is a whole other issue I am interested in.

Credits To: http://ejones5.blogspot.com

My interests relate back to anthropology because they involve human actions. They both study the interaction between humans and some other topic (animals and environment). This goes to show that anthropology can be and is used to study a variety of topics.

There are many different subfields within anthropology, one to fit anyone's interests. Here I will list some examples...

• Forensic Anthropology: One of the better known subfields of anthropology. If you have seen the TV Show Bones, you have an idea of what this is. If you haven’t seen it, I shall explain. Forensic anthropologists identify murder/disaster victims. They are employed by various law enforcement agencies and research institutions. They identify through skeletal remains and DNA.
• Medical Anthropology: Medical anthropologists study a specific subfield within cultural anthropology. They learn about the cultural differences that explain why certain people get sick and how this is related to culture, class, etc. They are also interested in what different cultures find acceptable for the treatment of illness and what they think the causes of these illnesses are.
• Evolutionary Anthropology: Evolutionary anthropologists study the evolution of humans, both physically and behaviorally. They also study other kinds of primates to look further into the link between humans and modern animals.

Both of my interests are examples of applied anthropology. This means that you are taking the principles and methods within anthropology and applying them to things happening in the world, to create solutions for practical problems. I think this type of anthropology is very useful, because it lets you analyze real-world problems and then think about what kinds of solutions are obtainable goals. It allows you to work with people from other disciplines, allowing everyone to bring the best of what their field has to offer to the table.

So what do anthropologists do in general? Some people end up working as researchers and lecturers at a university. Others work in community development, medicine, and business. Anthropology is a very broad subject, and therefore when you study it, you can really enter into any job market.

So what does studying anthropology compared to other fields help you gain? It gives you a good set of people skills. You learn to work with and among other people. You gain an understanding of various cultural differences and learn how to communicate with those who have opposing views or beliefs than you. You learn how to live in a globalized world. And if anything else, anthropology, in my opinion, helps you to become an improved and more well-rounded person.

“Anthropology is the most humanistic of sciences and the most scientific of  the humanities.” - Alfred L. Kroeber (1876-1960)