1.1 What is Anthropology1

Apuntes

1.1 What is Anthropology? Marvin Harris says “Anthropology is the study of humanity, of the ancient and modern people and their ways of life. To understand this concept it is necessary to contextualize its origin and its evolution. In other words, we will focus in the important facts that helped to conform this science. It’s hard to think in what was the exact origin of Anthropology, as since ancient times, different groups of people have been questioning themselves about the different traditions of other cultures, there are several tales where travelers described customs, garments, religions and the structure of different social groups, even when the anthropology didn’t exist as a science. Due to this, we can understand that it has been an important characteristic of human beings the capacity to question and highlight the cultural, social, biological and physical differences. That’s why in this course you will acquire the tools to understand the practice of anthropology as well as it field of action. There are several definitions of anthropology, but can be defined as the science devoted to the study of the (ancient and modern) human beings and their lifestyles (Harris, 2004). ...