Anthropology of religion

Anthropology falls in to four subfields, which are archeology, physical, linguistics, and cultural. One idea that these subfields share in common is holism. Holism is approaching a single subject in several different ways (Welsch 15). These four subfields all have their own distinct approaches. This is why anthropology is divided into multiple subfields, so that anthropologists can study further in specific subfields and result in more accurate information. Each subfield focuses on a different…

Michael Nalley ATH 102 – Midterm Essay: Processual and Post-Processual Archaeology: The basic and primary purpose of archaeology is to help us understand humans. To move toward that end, most archaeologists pursue three basic goals, each building on the other. As in all science, archaeology begins with the discovery of new information, which then must be described. Ultimately, archaeology seeks to contribute to the development of a comprehensive understanding of human behavior. At any step along…

Anthropology is a fundamental genre of study of peoples in their natural or societal environment. Those who choose to study and observe people can take two approaches to in recording ethnographies; a subject orientated perspective or an outsiders perspective. Due to the individuals moulding as an anthropologist and as a person by society, ethnographies can be clouded by researchers views on subjects as active agents through upbringing, sex and experience. These views can impact in their approach…

There are many ways of learning. One that has stuck throughout the centuries is storytelling. Every culture and religion use storytelling as a way to share and gain knowledge. Many cultures use storytelling as a way to share their religion and cultural ways with their young. This is prominent in cultures that don 't read or write. By telling stories they are able to keep their culture and allow others to learn about their culture. Even in countries such as America, storytelling is still widely…

While reading both of my articles a short fictional story “The Ethnographer” by Jorge Luis Brogues came to my mind. In the story an indecisive college student with nothing singular is motivated by one of his advisors to conduct participant observation with a tribe to decode the secrets of their medicine man. On his return the university promised him to publish his work. He fully emerges on the lifestyle of the tribe and after two years the secret was reveal. On his return he refuses to publish…

In this essay I will explore structuralism and evaluate the usefulness of the theory. I will look at examples of Structuralism in ethnography, such as observable binary oppositions and interpretations of the importance of myth, also exploring criticisms of the theory. I will explore the claim that Structuralism is too theory-based and cannot account for the experience of the individual, and whether this means that Structuralism can be relied on to inform us about human life from an…

In Pennsylvania, students may not be introduced to the concept of culture until after fifth grade, as the state and national core curriculum shies away from the general topic until middle school. More specifically, the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District specifies that between kindergarten and fifth grade, the children will “explore the themes of neighborhoods and communities,” and then “learn about United States geography and history” (Curriculum & education). Thus, even though…

In the world of nursing in the 21st Century there are many benefits that nurses did not have in the early centuries before. As with many changes that occur through time, culture being one of them, nursing professionals must be able to understand different ways to manage care, based on each individual client’s culture or belief system. Norbeck (1995) estimates “that by the year 2050 the Asian population will increase 9%, the African American 4%, and Hispanic 12%”. To understand cultural…

acceptable or wrong is determined by a group of people. Human beings live and exist in groups which are called cultures. These cultures determine standards that are considered as normal behaviour. Each one of us are born into a culture it maybe a religion, ethnic background, language and so forth. In these cultures, we get values which create norms of which we must uphold. What is right or wrong is so because of a society or culture at a time therefore morality does not exist outside the society…

Cultural Change When we talk about culture we are talking about what in man is learned. This can include many different aspects. Its span can go from music to food to religion. The methods that are employed to transmute these learned skills or traits can also be considered culture. The one definite is that if it is not biologically inherited it is somehow learned. The reasons for cultural changes can be singular or multifaceted. Something like a prolonged drought can change farming…