Chapter 1: Defining Anthropology

Anthropology

the holistic scientific study of humankind

Biological Anthropology

(Physical) the subfield of anthropology that studies humans as a biological species

Species

a group of organisms that can produce fertile offspring among themselves but not with members of other groups

Cultural Anthropology

the subfield of anthropology that focuses on human cultural behavior and cultural systems and the variation in cultural expression among human groups

Culture

ideas and behaviors that are learned and transmitted through non-genetic means of adaptation

Linguistic Anthropology

the subfield of anthropology that describes the characteristics of human language and studies the relationships between languages and the cultures that speak them

Archaeology

the subfield of anthropology that studies the human cultural past and reconstructs past cultural systems

Artifact

any object that has been consciously manufactured

Holistic

assuming an interrelationship among the parts of a subject

Biocultural

focusing on the interaction of biology and culture

Cultural Relativity

studying another culture from its point of view without imposing our own cultural values