Anthropology

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anthropology

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the study of humankind in all times and places

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holistic perspective

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a fundamental principle of anthropology, that the various parts of human culture and biology must be viewed in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections and interdependence

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culture bound

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theories about the world and reality based on the assumptions and values of one's own culture

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applied anthropology

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the use of anthropological knowledge and methods to solve practical problems, often for a specific client

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physical anthropology

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also known as biological anthropology. they systematic study of humans as biological organisms.

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molecular anthropology

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a branch of biological anthropology that uses genetic and biochemical techniques to test hypotheses about human evolution, adaptation, and variation.

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paleoanthropology

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the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species.

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biocultural

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focusing on the interaction of biology and culture

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primatology

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the study of living and fossil primates

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forensic anthropology

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subfield of applied physical anthropology that specializes in the identification of human skeletal remains for legal purposes

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archaeology

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the study of human cultures through the recovery and analysis of material remains and environmental data

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cultural resource management

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a branch of archeology that is concerned with survey and/or excavation of archaeological and historical remains threatened by construction or development and policy surrounding protection of cultural resources

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linguistic anthropology

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the study of human languages

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cultural anthropology

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also know as social or sociocultural anthropology. the study of customary patterns in human behavior, though, and feelings. it focuses on humans as culture-producing and culture-reproducing creatures.

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culture

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the (often unconscious) standards by which societies- structured groups of people- operate. these standards are socially learned, rather than acquired through biological inheritance.

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ethnography

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a detailed description of a particular culture primarily based on fieldwork

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fieldwork

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the term anthropologists use for on-location research

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participant observation

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in ethnography, the technique of learning a people's culture through social participation and personal observation within the community being studied, as well as interviews and discussion with individual members of the group over an extended period of time.

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ethnology

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the study and analysis of different cultures from a comparative or historical point of view, utilizing ethnographic accounts and developing anthropological theories that help explain why certain important differences or similarities occur among groups.

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medical anthropology

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a specialization in anthropology that brings theoretical and applied approaches from cultural and biological anthropology to the study of human health and disease.

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empirical

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based on observations of the world rather than on intuition or faith

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hypothesis

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a tentative explanation of the relation between certain phenomena

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theory

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in science, an explanation of natural phenomena, supported by a reliable body of data

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globalization

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worldwide interconnectedness, evidenced in global movements of natural resources, trade goods, human labor, finance capital, information, and infectious diseases.

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prehistory

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a conventional term used to refer to the period of time before the appearance of written records. does not deny the existence of history, merely of written history.

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artifact

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any object fashioned or altered by humans

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material culture

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the durable aspects of culture such as tools, structures, and art

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fossil

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the preserved remains of plants and animals that lived in the past

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soil marks

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stains that show up on the surface of recently plowed fields that reveal an archaeological site

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middens

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a refuse or garbage disposal area in an archaeological site

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grid system

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a system for recording data in three dimensions from an archaeological excavation

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datum point

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the starting, or reference, point for a grid system

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flotation

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an archaeological technique employed to recover very tiny objects by immersion of soil samples in water to separate heavy from light particles.

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stratified

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layered; said of archaeological sites where the remains lie in layers, one upon another

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coprolites

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preserved fecal material providing evidence of the diet and health of past organisms

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endocast

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a cast of the inside of a skull; helps determine the size and shape of the brain

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polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

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a technique for amplifying or creating multiple copies of fragments of DNA so that it can be studied in the laboratory

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bioarchaeology

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the archaeological study of human remains emphasizing the preservation of cultural and social processes in the skeleton

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relative dating

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in archeology and paleoanthropology, designating an event, object, or fossil as being older or younger than another

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absolute or chronometric dating

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in archeology and paleoanthropology, dates for archaeological materials based on solar years, centuries, or other units of absolute time.