Anthropology
the exploration of human diversity
what is anthropology?
anthropologist study human beings, dead or
alive, wherever and whenever they find them
Anthropology is the exploration of
human diversity in time and space. Its
studies the whole condition: past,
present, future; biology, society,
language, and culture.
One of the most
particular interest is the
diversity that comes
through human
adaptability - humans
are among the world’s
most adaptable animals
Most people think, anthropologist study
fossil and non-industrial. Based on
historical perspectives, it might be true
At the beginning, it used to understand the
others: the primitive and savages one - from
the perspective from west and civilized
society, to differentiate with Sociology which
focused on industrial society
Anthropology is much more than the
study of nonindustrial peoples: it is a
comparative field that examines all
societies – from the ancient to the modern,
from simple to complex. Its offer a
unique cross-cultural perspectives
Anthropology and many other current
fields are the intellectual results of the
comparative methods developed in the
earlier 19th century.
Rooted by the believes that human
being are different, by species nor by
culture/location
Anthropology is a global discipline involving humanities,
social sciences and natural sciences. Anthropology
builds upon knowledge from natural sciences, including
the discoveries about the origin and evolution of Homo
sapiens, human physical traits, human behavior, the
variations among different groups of humans, how the
evolutionary past of Homo sapiens has influenced its
social organization and culture, and from social
sciences, including the organization of human social and
cultural relations, institutions, social conflicts, etc
culture is a key concept in anthropology
culture are traditions and customs,
transmitted through learning, that guide
beliefs and behavior of people. It forces
constantly mold and shape human biology
and behavior
the most critical element is their
transmission through learning rather than
biological inheritance
the three layers of culture
idea/
knowledge
behavior/
activities
artifact/
material
seven elements
of culture:
• language
• knowledge
• social organization
• material and technology
• environment and
livelihood
• religion
• art
Anthropology has for
sub discipline:
•Cultural anthropology
•Archeological
•Biological
•Linguistic anthropology
Cultural anthropology is the study of human
society and culture, the subfield that describes,
analyzes, interpret and explain social and
cultural similarities and differences
Archaeology reconstruct, describes, and interpret
human behavior and cultural patterns through
material remains, a site where people have lived,
artifact, material items, animal and plants, etc
Biological anthropology take the human bodies
as subject. Focused on diversity, biological
variations within: human evolution, genetics,
human growth, biological plasticity, and
nonhuman primates etc.
Linguistic anthropology seeks to understand the
processes of human communications, verbal and
non-verbal, variation in language across time and
space, the social uses of language, and the
relationship between language and culture, linking
the analysis of linguistic forms and processes to the
interpretation of socio-cultural processes.
Anthropologist attempt to identify and
explain cultural differences and
similarities, and build theories about
how social and cultural system works
what’s next?
We’re going to discuss from the concept
of culture, anthropological perspectives,
and much more on topics: religion and
society, natural resource and social
conflict, politics and citizenship,
development and ethnicity, gender and
marriage, multiculturalism, art and
performance, media and popular culture,
globalization and the future of Indonesia
