− | '''Anthropology''' (from Greek: ἀνθρωπος, ''anthropos'', "human being"; and λόγος, ''logos'', "knowledge") is the study of [[Homo (genus)|humanity]]. Anthropology has origins in the [[natural sciences]], the [[humanities]], and the [[social science]]s.<ref name="Lewis" /><ref>Wolf, Eric (1994) ''Perilous Ideas: Race, Culture, People.'' ''[[Current Anthropology]]'' 35: 1-7. p.227</ref> [[Ethnography]] is both one of its primary methods, and the text that is written as a result of the practice of anthropology and its elements. | + | '''Anthropology''' (from Greek: ἀνθρωπος, ''anthropos'', "human being"; and λόγος, ''logos'', "knowledge") is the study of [[Homo (genus)|humanity]]. Anthropology has origins in the [[natural sciences]], the [[humanities]], and the [[social science]]s. (Wolf, Eric (1994) ''Perilous Ideas: Race, Culture, People.'' ''[[Current Anthropology]]'' 35: 1-7. p.227)[[Ethnography]] is both one of its primary methods, and the text that is written as a result of the practice of anthropology and its elements. |
| Since the work of [[Franz Boas]] and [[Bronisław Malinowski]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, social anthropology has been distinguished from other social science disciplines by its emphasis on in-depth examination of context, [[cross-cultural studies|cross-cultural comparisons]] (socio-cultural anthropology is by nature a comparative discipline),<ref name="Langlois99" /> and the importance it places on long-term, experiential immersion in the area of research, often known as [[Participant observation|participant-observation]]. Cultural anthropology in particular has emphasized [[Cultural relativism|cultural relativity]] and the use of findings to frame cultural critiques. This has been particularly prominent in the United States, from Boas's arguments against 19th-century racial ideology, through [[Margaret Mead]]'s advocacy for gender equality and sexual liberation, to current criticisms of [[post-colonialism|post-colonial]] oppression and promotion of [[multiculturalism]]. | | Since the work of [[Franz Boas]] and [[Bronisław Malinowski]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, social anthropology has been distinguished from other social science disciplines by its emphasis on in-depth examination of context, [[cross-cultural studies|cross-cultural comparisons]] (socio-cultural anthropology is by nature a comparative discipline),<ref name="Langlois99" /> and the importance it places on long-term, experiential immersion in the area of research, often known as [[Participant observation|participant-observation]]. Cultural anthropology in particular has emphasized [[Cultural relativism|cultural relativity]] and the use of findings to frame cultural critiques. This has been particularly prominent in the United States, from Boas's arguments against 19th-century racial ideology, through [[Margaret Mead]]'s advocacy for gender equality and sexual liberation, to current criticisms of [[post-colonialism|post-colonial]] oppression and promotion of [[multiculturalism]]. |