See Table of Contents Below
Welcome to the anthropology section of globalproblems.net. Anthropology is a very broad discipline and touches many areas. There are as many specialties as there are anthropologists. This section of the site is an accumulation of resources and general anthropological sites.
Anthropology is about people. It is the study of humans in their environment and seeks to develop the greatest possible understanding of humans and human diversity.
Anthropology is a social science and, like other scientists, anthropologists form and test hypotheses in hopes of arriving at general theories, although we all realize that because of the diverse nature of humans, no theory is beyond challenge and no theory necessarily applies to all groups of people.
Many ask what the difference between anthropology and other social sciences is and it is true that anthropologists do combine knowledge from all of the social sciences. Perhaps that is the main difference. Anthropologists study all aspects of the culture: history, sociology, psychology, physical traits, politics, etc. No culture can totally be understood by looking at only one facet of its existence.
Anthropologists attempt to form as objective a view of a culture as possible and to eliminate cultural bias. This is usually accomplished by becoming so familiar with even the minute details of a culture that inherent traits or patterns are recognized. It is through fieldwork that these views are tested.
In essence, anthropology is the grassroots discipline of the social sciences. Anthropologists learn by observing the subject directly.
I hope that the resources gathered here will assist you in your endeavors to understand humans and their world.
This section of my website is dedicated to Dr. Richard H. Robbins, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus, retired from the Anthropology Department at SUNY Plattsburgh. It was in the department through the mentoring of Dr. Robbins and contact with some of the finest anthropologists and instructors in the discipline that I found, not only my life’s work, but a home.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Agriculture and Food
- Ethnography, Folklife and Folklore
- Native, Indigenous and Ethnic Peoples
- Religion
- Africa
- Antarctica and the Arctic
- Australia/Oceania
- Asia
- Europe
- North America
- South America