por What is applied anthropology?
Applied anthropology is, in simple words, the fact of putting anthropological knowledge and methods into practice to complete a research activity. It is any type of anthropological research that is carried out in order to solve one or more practical problems.
Pure anthropology is the social science that studies the behavior of human beings, both past and present. By «applying» it, it seeks to solve problems that may be related to any area that involves human behavior, such as health, business, human rights, environmental problems, and education, among others.
Applied anthropology requires the application of methods based on research and data collection to bring about changes in certain given cultural systems.
It is the praxis of anthropology, the fact of including research together with activism within the community or group of people that you want to study.
What does applied anthropology study?
Anthropology is the study of humans past and present. Anthropologists take a broad approach to understand all aspects of the human experience. They start from a holistic idea; that is to say, that all the attributes that make up the human being are interconnected with each other.
Anthropology takes into account the past of human beings—through the study of archaeology—to determine how people lived thousands of years ago and the things that mattered to humans. They also take into account what makes up the human being biologically, be it the body, the bones, the genetics and the food that is consumed.
Similarly, studies that determine the similarities between people and animals are also encompassed by anthropology.
Anthropological studies are divided into four main branches, which are the areas of study in which this science specializes. All these areas of study can be applied, which means that they have practical uses that usually have specific purposes, such as studies or research.
What does applied anthropology do?
Applied anthropology is one of the fundamental parts of anthropology, since the four subdivisions of anthropology can be used in studies.
Basically, applied anthropology consists of putting anthropological principles into practice to solve problems that arise in the real world.
For example, applied anthropology can be used in local communities to solve problems present in them, which may be health, education or even the environment.
It is also possible to find anthropologists working in history museums, to help determine the origin of certain historical aspects of humanity.
Applied anthropology is not limited to a single job; It encompasses a large number of aspects that can be related to each other to determine the results of the studies.
The common characteristic that everyone who practices applied anthropology must have is to see the world in a holistic way.
Everything that affects humanity is correlated with each other. That is, in order to explain a problem in its entirety, all its parts must be studied, related, and then developed an answer based on this.
Fields of application of applied anthropology
Anthropology can be applied in almost any field that involves the development of human beings, but it is mainly divided into four main branches. These are biology, archaeology, culture and linguistics.
biological anthropology
Biological anthropology, also known as physical anthropology, is that branch of applied anthropology that encompasses all studies of the human being and its evolution.
The studies of this branch of anthropology seek to understand why human beings are the way they are, but they mainly focus on the wide diversity of the species.
It is quite broad in scope and includes various practices, such as human paleontology, evolutionary biology, and human genetics, among others. These studies are not limited to the past: they can also explain current human biological attitudes, based on evolutionary facts.
cultural anthropology
Cultural anthropology is a division of anthropology that is responsible for studying culture in all its aspects, using the methods and tools of ethnography, ethnology and folklore to accurately determine the studies. It complies with analyzing and studying the culture in the different societies of the world.
This branch of anthropology is closely related to archaeological anthropology. In many cases, experts from both areas collaborate with each other to obtain better results in the studies. Similarly, the cultural branch of this science is related to other social sciences, such as sociology.
linguistic anthropology
Linguistic anthropology focuses specifically on the use of language as a social tool by humans.
The applied studies of this branch of science seek to study the functioning of languages and other forms of communication worldwide. In addition, it explains the cultural understandings of the language and the variations of this in each society.
In applied studies, language is considered a fundamental tool in the creation of culture in social life. This relates linguistic anthropology to cultural anthropology, again creating a holistic relationship between anthropological branches.
The studies seek to understand how each language can influence the way people perceive the world.
For example, the availability of particular words and their use in each language may mean that people understand objects or directions more easily or require more explanation.
Archeology
Archaeologists study the culture of human beings based on the objects they created in the past.
It is undoubtedly the most practical and applicable branch of anthropology; Investigators carefully look for buried objects of all kinds to identify their origin and characteristics. In addition, they create maps of villages and homes to identify the way people lived.
The study of archeology is not limited to humans, as animals are also studied to determine the environment in which humans lived. This again highlights the importance of applied anthropology’s holistic belief.
This branch of anthropology covers all recorded human existence, from the first steps taken by the ancestors to the present day.
References
What is anthropology?, American Anthropology Association, (nd). Taken from americananthro.org
What is Applied Anthropology?, University of North Texas, (nd). Taken from unt.edu
Biological Anthropology, Leslie Aiello, (nd). Taken from discoveranthropology.org.uk
Cultural Anthropology, The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, (nd). Taken from Britannica.com
Anthropology, The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, (nd). Taken from Britannica.com
What is Applied Anthropology?, Missouri State University, (nd). Taken from missouristate.edu