Category: Anthropology
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Ecological Anthropology: Meaning, Importance, Methodology
Ecological anthropology is a subfield or a branch in anthropology and in simple terms, it is the study of interactions between human beings and the environment they live in. The discipline studies the adaptations and interactions of humankind and the environment for a generation at times. Why is it an important discipline: It has become…
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Human Evolution: A Brief Overview, Stages and Timeline
The study of evolution is one that scientists and researchers have been carrying out for the last few centuries, with the biggest pioneer in the field of evolution being the English scientist Charles Darwin, whose concepts such as natural selection helped form the basis for the theory of evolution as we know it today. In…
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Margaret Mead: Biography and Contributions
Margaret Mead is one of the most prominent figures in American anthropology. Born on the sixteenth of December 1901, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mead’s research on primitive societies in the islands of the South seas gained her recognition in the anthropology community. Anthropologists over the years have travelled across the globe, attempting to study societies for…
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The Social Contract Theory in Simple Language
This article will dive into the essence of the ‘Social Contract Theory’ according to three representatives, namely, are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and J.J.Rousseau. It is a short insight into the three thinkers which hopefully will get you into learning more about them! Primarily the social contract theory states that people live together in a…
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Franz Boas: Biography and Contributions ( Cultural Relativism)
German-American Anthropologist Franz Boas is best known for his contributions on ‘cultural relativism’ and the re-organisation of American Anthropology. He specifically explored the cultural and linguistic features of the native North American societies. Franz Boas: Life History (1858- 1942) Born on July 9, 1858, in Westphalia, Franz Boas grew up as a liberal and intellectually…
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10 Best Anthropology Books for Beginners
Read this article to know about 10 best Anthropology books for beginners! American Anthropological Association, AAA, calls anthropology ‘the study of what makes us human’. It is the discipline which explores the rise and fall of human civilizations. It tries to understand the cultural development and biological evolvement of homo sapiens from a variety of…
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Radcliffe Brown: Biography, Contributions and Books
Early life: Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown was born in Birmingham in 1881. He belonged to the English lower middle class. With economic support from his brother, Radcliffe-Brown embarked on medical studies. But his teachers encouraged him to move to Cambridge and study anthropology. While at Cambridge, Radcliffe-Brown became a pupil of pioneering ethnologist W. H. R….