Anthropology and Its Application to the World

Anthropology studies humans in every place and time-past or present. Loosely speaking, it studies their way of life which encompasses their language, political systems, and socio-cultural ways. With this, we can easily conclude that Anthropology studies archaeological findings, dialects, indigenous ways of living and the like. But through the film we watched, I realized that Anthropology is more than just studying the ancient cultures and whatnot. Anthropology’s application to the rest of the world is not merely focused on these studies but on the skills and kind of approach you acquire through intensive studies, research and fieldworks which become applicable and in demand in the work force of everyday life.

What makes Anthropology unique is its capability to look at various disciplines simultaneously. Unlike the fields of biology which looks at species through that perspective solely or Psychology which looks at things from the influences of the environment, Anthropology, through critical analysis and questioning backed up with scientific data, enhances one’s understanding and appreciation of its studies by taking into consideration the history behind the subject.

Anthropology is categorized in to four sub-groups namely, Physical, Linguistics, Socio-cultural, and Archeology. Each having their own specialty or objective, physical anthropology is concerned with the human and non-human evolutions. It studies the evolutions to understand the influences and the way the life at every stage. Linguistics studies the languages of different tribes or people in support of maintaining and preserving cultural languages. Socio-cultural Anthropology studies the everyday life of their subjects. They try to understand their subjects to create changes without disrupting the existing life. In the case of providing aid in remote/depressed areas in need of basic necessities, they create and support sustainable developments-that through their studies they aim to provide such needs without causing too much disruption. In general, these fields study humans and the way they life in order to create solutions for the present or succeeding life.

In the film, I saw how anthropologists could be found practically anywhere. You could find them in archaeological sites, universities, health care institutes and even in the office. Health Anthropologists was quite a unique job. Instead of the traditional methods of promulgating awareness through the usual talks, brochures, etc., health anthropologists provide a more comfortable, personalized approach to saving lives. As explained in the film, they established a multicultural health project which focused on the battle against AIDS. This project aimed at the cultural relevance of the certain sickness to these people. It was very comforting to see the effects of communication skills between health care institutes and patients that it actually lessens