Cultural Anthropology HSP 3M

What is it? Cultural anthropology is the study of how culture shapes human ideas and learned behaviour. Anthropologist of the early 20th century usually studied non-industrial, non-Western cultures. Their goal was to record the practices of these cultures before they were absorbed by colonists and industrial nations. Today, however, anthropological methods are used to study all cultures. Anthropologists conduct research in urban and rural settings around the world as well as in their own societies.

Methodology Like other scientists, cultural anthropologists base their knowledge on observation. They try to be objective and to draw conclusions from data, without imposing value judgments on unfamiliar ways.

Purpose One major goal of cultural anthropology is to combat ethnocentrism – the tendency to judge other cultures by one’s own values.

Purpose (Cont’d) Anthropologists believe that all cultures should be respected for developing ways to survive and for meeting the challenges of their environment. This attitude of respect and acceptance is known as cultural relativism.

Branches of Cultural Anthropology Archaeology is cultural anthropologists of the past. Archeologists analyze material and human remains left by ancient cultures to discover what early humans were like, and where and how they lived. Otzi, the Ice Man