The four fields of anthropology
In North America, anthropology is traditionally divided into four fields that study humans from different angles.
Cultural and linguistic anthropology
Cultural anthropologists study how living people organise their lives: their values, customs, economies, and relationships. Linguistic anthropologists study language in social life: how people speak, how languages change, and how language shapes and reflects identity and power.
Archaeology and biological anthropology
Archaeologists reconstruct past human life from material remains such as tools, buildings, and food waste. Biological anthropologists study humans as biological organisms: evolution, genetics, primates, fossils, and human variation. Forensic anthropologists apply these skills to identify human remains in legal cases.
Applied anthropology
Many anthropologists work outside universities, applying the discipline's methods to real problems. They help design health programmes that fit local customs, study how people use products, support Indigenous land claims, and advise on disaster recovery. Some describe applied work as a fifth field; others see it as running through all four.
Flashcard
The study of living cultures and social life
Check your understanding
A researcher studies how chimpanzees use tools in order to understand early human behaviour. Which field is this?