Anthropology, quite simply put, is the study of any and all things related to mankind.
Anthropology is primarily concerned with Homo sapiens. Human beings. Now, I know what you are thinking; that seems to encompass quite a lot. I mean, think about humanity: there's just a lot to cover here. Sure, you took history and psychology class. You've got the basics of the last 300 or so years, right? Well, I'm afraid there's a bit more to it than that.
For this reason, anthropology is rather encompassing, as you can imagine. Thus, everything from biology, to religion, to language, to psychology, to geology, to music, art, and literature, to history, to mathematics, to philosophy, to geography, to modern-day iPhones--all are part of the vast field of anthropology. It's got pretty much everything you can think of that has to do with humans, ever.
First, and most importantly, you should know that there are four sub-fields of anthropology:
- Cultural Anthropology
- Biological Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Linguistics
At this point, you might be conjuring up images of dirty, nerdy-looking people digging around in the dirt for fossils. Or, a frumpy academic sitting in the middle of an African tribe wearing brightly colored beads and eating some sort of meat of questionable procurement. Though these certainly may qualify as stereotypical anthropologists, everyone does anthropology every day, without realizing it. After all, you are a human, aren't you?
Anthropologists are concerned with all types, shapes, sizes, and varieties of people--both past and present (and future). This includes different cultures, languages, ways of life, beliefs, systems of government, and not to mention dietary and hygiene habits. It also includes a very broad view of what constitutes human history.
(to be continued...)
