The Study of Anthropology
The study of Anthropology aims to answer the question of what it simply means to be a human being. Anthropology emphasizes the study of different human cultures all over the world throughout history up to the present day. Anthropology provides an insight to all human aspects through a broad interpretation, discovery, and study of past and existing cultural characteristics. In the modern world, acknowledging the origin and progress of human beings is highly important in understanding the cultures and communities of other people. Anthropology identifies common human aspects, such as languages and cultures in order to find a mutual human thread. Additionally, Anthropology discerns how various differentiations between people and their behaviors occurred. This paper focuses on analyzing the relevance of Anthropology in the modern world and how it contributes to society.
The Importance of Anthropology
According to anthropologist Boas, “Anthropology stresses comparing human groups to understand the level of variation in both biology and human behavior, and therefore acknowledges what it is to be human” (Boas, 2013). Anthropology comprises of various subfields, each contributing significantly in understanding human behaviors.
Linguistic Anthropology
Linguistic Anthropology focuses on languages, Social Anthropology deals with human culture, and Biological Anthropology emphasizes the evolution of human beings. Nutritional Anthropology creates a link between Social and Biological Anthropology, and how one subfield affects the other (Boas, 2013). Therefore, Anthropology seeks to understand who human beings are as a species and how such knowledge can be used to solve contemporary social problems.
Biological Anthropology and Human Diversity
Biological Anthropology traces the evolution path throughout history, helping people to understand the environmental pressures which caused the present human diversity. In the modern world, understanding the evolution of human beings helps people to uncover the role they are entitled to play in the universe. According to Connell, “studying present humans, their rate of evolution, and the similarities between ancestors and the current form, anthropologists can understand how human society operated back then” (Connell, 2015). Biological Anthropology discovers various ways diseases and illness affected the evolutionary process, contributing remarkably in appreciating the present human society (Connell, 2015). Therefore, Biological Anthropology fosters a great sense of solidarity among human beings by helping people to understand their place in nature.
Social Anthropology and Human Interaction
Social Anthropology promotes greater cooperation, respect, and communication among human beings. As people grow from childhood to adulthood, they learn about various cultural practices and symbols which are shared by people from diversified places. Additionally, people encounter individuals and cultures with different sets of behaviors and symbols. Social Anthropology helps people to comprehend how various societies are formed, the relationship between certain behaviors and values, and why people value certain activities. In the modern world, Social Anthropology offers various significant contributions to society, including analyzing consumer behavior, studying violence, and resolving conflicts (Pritchard, 2011). According to Pritchard, “Big Companies like Google use social anthropologists to understand and predict how people interact with technology” (Pritchard, 2011). Therefore, Social Anthropology helps to understand how people live and lead a meaningful life in the modern society.
Nutritional Anthropology and Food Distribution
Nutritional Anthropology is another subfield of Anthropology which contributes significantly to modern society. According to Jensen, “Nutritional Anthropology emphasizes the study of foods and nutrition from cultural, behavioral, evolutionary, and social perspectives, and how they relate in the attainment of nutritional health at the population, community, and individual levels” (Jensen, 2014). Researchers acknowledge that many countries experience significant hunger problems as a result of poor food distribution. Nutritional anthropologist studies not only food qualities and quantities, but also the effective system of food production and distribution (Jensen, 2014). In the present society, nutritional anthropologists are developing high-nutrition and low-spoilage foods in order to combat hunger in the poverty-stricken places.
Linguistic Anthropology and Endangered Languages
Linguistic Anthropology emphasizes studying languages and their evolution with the aim of understanding culture effectively. Linguistic Anthropology aids in comprehending how languages relate with one another and how human beings have been communicating over the years. Many researchers acknowledge that Linguistic Anthropology helps in addressing the problem of endangered languages. According to Hale, “An endangered language is the one that is at a risk of disappearing due to preferences for speaking different languages” (Hale, 2007). The primary causes of losing languages include cultural marginalization, cultural repressions, natural disasters, genocidal violence, and wars. Linguistic Anthropology explains why a certain language is preferred over the other, and why different geographic locations have various accents (Hale, 2007). Therefore, Linguistic Anthropology evaluates not only the impact of language on culture but also how the endangered languages could be preserved.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Anthropology provides an insight to all human aspects through a broad interpretation, discovery, and study of past and existing cultural characteristics. Anthropology consists of various subfields, each contributing significantly to understanding human behaviors. Biological Anthropology traces the evolution of human beings, uncovering the role of people in the universe. Nutritional Anthropology helps anthropologists to manufacture high-nutrition and low-spoilage foods, combating hunger in the poverty-stricken places. Social Anthropology promotes cooperation and communication among human beings, helping in analyzing consumer behavior, studying violence, and resolving conflicts. Therefore, Anthropology contributes effectively to modern society through the discussed subfields, helping people to have a better understanding of themselves and their behaviors.
References
Boas, F. (2013). Anthropology. New York: Cornford Press.
Connell, R. (2015). Human evolution and Anthropology. Journal Of Evolution, 51(3), 241-244. doi: 10.1111/jse.12020
Hale, K. (2007). Endangered language: On endangered languages and safeguarding diversity. Language, 68(1), 1-42. doi: 10.1353/lan.1992.0052
Jensen, B. (2014). Nutritional anthropology (pp. 56-114). New Delhi: Global Vision Pub. House.
Pritchard, E. (2011). Social Anthropology (1st ed., p. 55). Texas: Oxford.
