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On this site, anthropology is used to deal with subjects that are common to groups of people rather than individually, and without regard to the particulars of culture, social institutions, or nationality, while societies are dealt with in sociology. This is contrast to the more usual division of studies. Traditionally, anthropology is considered to deal more with whole societies, specifically smaller, traditional societies, while sociology deals more with social psychology and industrial societies. However, this historically based division is rather unnatural and unsatisfactory. As treated on this site, it includes elements of sociology, and subjects such as social foundations, demography, human geography, physical anthropology, human ecology, and particular groups of note. |
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Social foundations includes social presentation, social interaction, social control, group types, and group behavior.
Demography includes discussion of birth, migration, death, population size and structure, and population change.
Physical anthropology includes studies of human origins and racial variation, and human dispersion.
Human ecology includes detailed discussion of enviornmental effects on humans, relationships with other life forms and the effects of humanity on the earth.
Human geography is divided into particular regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Australia/Oceania.
This will include groups other than subgroups of one of the major institutions. Those will be included among those institutions.
Natural sciencePhysics including mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, relativity, quantum theory, and the structure of matter has limited use in anthropology. Chemistry including chemical substances, chenical changes, and chemical systems is for the most part significant in anthropology. Astronomy is also for the most part not directly useful. Solar system astronomy has possible applications. The sun is indirectly connected, but solar planetary systems are more useful especially in a near-earth environment. The Inner planets, more than the gas giants or dwarf planets, are useful. Minor bodies, the interstellar medium, and solar system history are at best indirectly useful. Stellar astronomy, galactic astronomy, and cosmology are subjects for speculation. |
Links to other sites: not yet available |
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Earth science is rather more important. Areas of geology including minerals, rocks, landforms, geologic processes, and interior geology can be applied. Hydrospheric science including various aspects of oceanography, glaciology, groundwater, and fresh water are significant. Atmospheric science including atmospheric structure, meteorology, and climatology is very useful to some parts of it. Physical geography including mapping, terrestrial geography down to the level of Eurasia, and parts of oceanic geography are all relevant to the study of anthropology. Not all areas of geohistory are equally useful, since human remains are associated with Cenozoic geology, including the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene epochs. In biology, molecular biology and cytology are mostly at too low a level of detail to be useful. Organism biology including tissues, organ systems, form, life cycle, and behavior is also at a very low level. There is some connection to systematics. Microbes, protists, plants, and fungi are useful. Animals including sponges and jellyfsh, protostomes, deuterostomes, fishes, and tetrapods are useful to some degree. Areas of ecology including behavioral ecology, population ecology, community ecology, system ecology, evolution, ecosystems, and biogeography all have specifically human applications. Not all areas of biohistory are equally useful. Recognizably human history belongs entirely to Cenozoic life including the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene epochs. |
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Personal studiesAnthropology depends quite heavily on studies of the human body, including body systems such as structure, vital, reproductive, and control systems, body functions including strength and mobility,vital functions, reproductive functions, and control functions, disease, life cycle, and form and appearance. Psychology is also vital to studies of anthropology. Behavioral elements of sensation, perception, and motor activity are important. Mind and processes of emotion, cognition, and volition are also useful. Behavior patterns, development, and mental disorders are also useful. Studies of personality are also useful. Much of anthropology is based on social psychology. The contributions of individuals in the biography list so far is rather limited.
CultureMaterial culture including industrial technology, buildings, foodstuffs and clothing will be useful. Transportation technology including packaging, land transporation, water transsporation, air transportation, and space transporation can be considered. Communication technology including written communication, graphic communications, and electronic communications will be useful. Other artifacts such as toys, medicines, sculpture, and weaponry will be useful. Language, including linguistics, writing, and languages of the world is considered an important part of anthropological study. Graphic arts including drawing, painting, printmaking, cartography, photography, and computer graphics may also be applicable. Literature including oral tradition, forms of literature, types and generes, and particular literary works is also applicable to anthropology. Mathematics is also used, including mathematical foundations, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, possibly some calculus, and statistics. Applied science is also used. Measurement applies best. Engineering and navigation seem to be less applicable. Medical science, information science, accounting, and applied social science can be connected. Philosophy including metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, ethics, and philosophical schools and doctrines can be applied. Customs including vital custom, living and dwelling, dress and adornment, social interaction, and institutional customs can be connected. occupations such as food related, building related, transportation related, communication related, industrial occupation, and service occupations can be connected. recreation and entertainment such as music, dance, theatre, games, sports, and cultural events such as miscellaneous events, disasters, meetings, and holidays influence various areas of anthropology. InstitutionsFamilies including marriage, parenting, kinship, and particular families are important in anthropology. Education including research has been influential. Teaching is important. Cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, and performing venues can be connected. Educational organization including course material, students, faculty, and administration can be connected. Particular schools including primary schools, secondary schools and higher education can be connected. Economic activities such as production, distribution, and consumption will also be influential. Industries using particular companies such as Wal-Mart, Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell, and BP, and including agricultural, extraction and manufacting, construction, transportation, communications, social and medical services, and connercial services will be useful. Economic systems including firms, networks, types of systems, and economic system behavior will also be influential. Law including tribal law, Asiatic law, Western law, and International law has some connection to anthropology Government structure including political parties, judicial systems, legislative systems, executive systems, heads of government, and forms of government often illustrates principles of anthropology. Government activities including administration and succession are also important. State relations such as espionage, diplomacy, and warfare are connected. Particular governments including local and national government also illustrates and influences these principles. International government including traditional empires, colonial empires, and modern compacts is also useful. Temporary alliances, special purpose organizations, regional groups, and world governments can be connected. Religious beliefs are also significant. Religious practice is often based on and influences various areas of anthropology. Religious organization including unstructured, fragmented, and highly structured organization may have some influence. Particular religious traditions have been influential. Abrahamic religion has been significant. Christianity has had a strong influence. Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, and Mormonism can all be examined. Islam has been important. Judaism has been important. Asiatic religion including Persian varieties has been less significant, but can still be examined. Indian religion including Buddhism, Hindusism, Sikhism, and Jainism can be connected. Oriental religion including Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto can be considered. Pagan religion including European pagan, Asian pagan, African Pagan, American Indian pagan, and Neopagan religion can be connected. Secularism has been influential. SociologySocial structure and change, communities, and peoples of the world can be applied to social foundations, demography, physical anthroplology, human ecology, human geography, and particular groups. HistoryDuring prehistory, social foundations and demography, physical anthropology, human ecology, human geography, and particular groups were more or less left to nature. During antiquity, social foundations were mostly left to nature. The practice of taking censuses began to develop. Physical anthropology was noted but little studied, and geography began to develop. A few particular groups can be considered. During classical and medieval times, social foundations were considered by philosophers. Demography advanced only a little, and physical anthropology was considered by philosophers. Human ecology was more or less left to nature, but human geography began to develop. Particular groups can be followed. In modern times, all these subjects began to adopt scientific methods and were studied in considerable detail. Their future is not yet well known. |
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