Discuss the overlap of the disciplines of anthropology and history. What can the various sub disciplines of anthropology contribute to our understanding of history?
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Discuss the overlap of the disciplines of anthropology and history. What can the various sub-disciplines of anthropology contribute to our understanding of history?
History and anthropology are related as both are social sciences. Both study the past, human culture, and human actions. Anthropology as a social science has four sub-disciplines which can contribute to a better understanding of history. The four subfields include cultural anthropology, archaeology, physical anthropology, and linguistics.
Cultural anthropology deals with the origins and development of human culture. It helps historians to understand the why different people adopted distinct cultures based on their environment (Murray, 2013). This knowledge is gained through fieldwork (ethnography). The study of archaeology helps historians to have a better understanding the material culture by studying the material remains they left behind.
Physical anthropology studies the physical aspects of mankind such as how they evolved over time. The variation of the physical features of mankind over time helps those studying history to understand man adapted to his environment over time (Murray, 2013). Linguistics helps us to understand history in a better way by looking at the similarities or differences between different cultures and peoples.
From the above, the four sub-disciplines of anthropology help those studying history to develop a deeper understanding of how people lived in the past. Anthropology brings to life the descriptive lifestyles of past events by incorporating the physical aspects of people, the language they spoke, and how they evolved. Anthropology complements the study of history and helps to fill in the missing gaps that historians may not fully explain.
References
Murray, S. O. (2013). American anthropology and company: Historical explorations. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
