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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to anthropology: Anthropology – study of humankind. Anthropology has origins in the natural sciences – humanities – and the social sciences. [1] The term was first used by François Péron when discussing his encounters with Tasmanian Aborigines. [2]
The Gift has been very influential in anthropology, [3] where there is a large field of study devoted to reciprocity and exchange. [4] It has also influenced philosophers, artists, and political activists, including Georges Bataille, Jacques Derrida, Jean Baudrillard, and more recently the work of David Graeber and the theologians John Milbank and Jean-Luc Marion.
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. [1] Social anthropology studies patterns of behavior, while cultural anthropology studies cultural meaning, including norms and values. [1]
Anthropological linguistics came about in the United States as a subfield of anthropology, when anthropologists were beginning to study the indigenous cultures, and the indigenous languages could no longer be ignored, and quickly morphed into the subfield of linguistics that it is known as today. [4] [5]
Nevertheless, key aspects of feminist theory and methods became de rigueur as part of the 'post-modern moment' in anthropology: Ethnographies became more interpretative and reflexive, [25] explicitly addressing the author's methodology; cultural, gendered, and racial positioning; and their influence on the ethnographic analysis.
Today, physical anthropologists often collaborate more closely with biology and medicine than with cultural anthropology. [5] However, it is widely accepted that a complete four-field analysis is needed in order to accurately and fully explain an anthropological topic. The four-field approach is dependent on collaboration.
Embodiment theory speaks to the ways that experiences are enlivened, materialized, and situated in the world through the body.Embodiment is a relatively amorphous and dynamic conceptual framework in anthropological research that emphasizes possibility and process as opposed to definitive typologies. [1]
Sociocultural anthropology is a term used to refer to social anthropology and cultural anthropology together. It is one of the four main branches of anthropology . Sociocultural anthropologists focus on the study of society and culture, while often interested in cultural diversity and universalism .