The 4 main branches of Anthropology: what they are and what they investigate

This human-centered science tries to capture different facets of our societies.

Anthropology is a science that arose from the need to understand, on the one hand, the diversity of the physical characteristics of human beings, and on the other, to compare different human groups in a descriptive way.

However, as its development and scientific recognition has progressed, Anthropology has extended and systematized its practices in different branches. Here we will explain what it is and what are the four main branches of anthropology. the four main branches of Anthropology.

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What is Anthropology?

Anthropology is the scientific discipline that is in charge of understanding what makes us human. To do so, it analyzes both the physical aspects and sociocultural manifestations of different groups and in different periods..

Specifically, anthropologists are interested in studying how and why people behave and interact in certain ways; this can be analyzed from very different perspectives.

Many anthropologists work, for example, analyzing the area of economics or politics, others health, education or law. But there may be many more. For anthropology the fields of study are as varied as human diversity..

Likewise, the forms that Anthropology has created to study this, vary according to the place and the specific context where they have arisen. For example, there are traditions of anthropology that do not apply in the same way in the United States as in Latin America. This is because needs and lifestyles are different according to the context.and that is precisely what Anthropology seeks to understand.

Main branches of Anthropology

In the beginning, Anthropology was dedicated to the study of non-Western practices and cosmovisions of different groups, such as ceremonies, rituals, divination, among others.. However, its fields of study have become much more diverse as the discipline itself has advanced.

Thus, the object of study of anthropology covers a Wide range of possibilities. That is why it is usually divided into different fields.

According to the American Anthropological Association, there are four main branches of this discipline. In turn, each of these branches of Anthropology can be subdivided into different topics and according to specific interests.

Biological Anthropology

Biological anthropology (in some places known as physical anthropology) is concerned with understanding how humans have adapted to different environments. how human beings have adapted to different environments.. More specifically, it is concerned, for example, with studying the causes of disease or how we have evolved differently from other species.

They are also interested in understanding how biology and culture shape lifestyles and human behavior in general.

2. Cultural anthropology

Cultural anthropology, which in some places is also known as sociocultural anthropology. also referred to as sociocultural anthropology or ethnologyexplores how people in different places live and understand the world. They ask how the norms that establish forms of interaction are generated in a wide variety of contexts.

To do so, they analyze people's points of view. These points of view allow them to understand the perspective, practices, values and social organization of human groups.

3. Linguistic anthropology

Those who study linguistic anthropology are interested in analyzing the different ways of establishing the various forms of communication that exist among human beings.. That is, to understand how language is linked to the ways we understand the world and relate to it.

More specifically, it is about looking at how language manifests itself in different ways and how its uses change over time, creating meanings and even changing identities and relationships. These two concepts, language and communication, are the keys to understanding society and culture.

4. Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of human culture through the analysis of objects, materials, tools and analyzing the objects, materials, tools and constructions that people have made throughout history. and in different places.

To do this, the most common practice is to remove such objects from the ground, and map the location of the constructions, in order to better understand how people's daily life was, as well as to understand the differences and similarities between human societies through time.

How are these branches of study applied?

The different branches of anthropology can be applied in very diverse contexts. For example, at the local level, in communities, trying to understand their problems related to health, or education.

Or they can also be applied in museums or at sites, they can be applied in museums or archaeological sites, helping to reconstruct the past.. In the same sense, it can be applied in large cities, that is, in the analysis of practices and spaces of the present.

They can also be applied in the business or technological field, as the latter can give many clues about how we have evolved and how our needs and lifestyles are constantly transforming.