What Is Anthropology?
Anthropology is the study of human beings, having its origins in humanities and social science. It is a discourse on the evolution of Homo Sapiens, who were their ancestors, the variations and differences of humans, how certain groups of humans behave in the society and what is the function of these creatures in the society and culture. Anthropology is considered to be one of the most important sections in education- there are anthropological science or biological anthropology, social and cultural anthropology, archeology and anthropological linguistics.
Anthropology by Carol R. Ember and Melvin Ember is the most helpful handbook for getting a general idea on the recent trends of anthropological research and developments. It describes the history of anthropology as well as the variety of anthropological studies and their impact on our socio-cultural environment. There is a detailed introduction on anthropology, origin of human beings, development of society and culture and their gradual adaptation to the evolution of language and family systems. Art, culture, economy and politics became intertwined in the history of anthropology of human beings. Applied anthropology is also discussed in detail how to deal with global social problems.
Introduction to Physical Anthropology by Robert Jurmain is an introduction to the physical and biological field of anthropology, specially compiled for students as a textbook. This book renders knowledge on all the basic principles of the subject and the place of the humans in this biological world. All the recent explorations are also covered under the book like molecular biology, primatology, genomics and fossil discoveries. This one is a great collection of information for educational purposes.
Social Anthropology and Human Origins by Alan Barnard places social anthropology in the context of anthropological sciences. This book approves the idea that anthropological sciences cannot be complete without socio- cultural studies. The social and cultural aspects of the particular field help us in exact understanding of our evolution history and its relation to society, culture, language, family and relationships and also art and customs. The recent findings on archeology and primatology are also incorporated in the studies of social anthropology. This book delivers a new angle on this most important sub- field of anthropology.
Archaeology A Very Short Introduction by Bill Tidy and Paul Bahn is a very helpful short introduction on how this sub-field evolved, what is the connection between anthropology and archeology and its impact on our society. This is a short theoretical knowledge book that will help the readers in arriving at an average conclusion on the definite subject. Through the lucid style of writing, the author engages the readers to have full comprehension of the subject. An academic outlook is born through the gathered knowledge.
The Anthropology of Language by Harriet Joseph Ottenheimer is kind of textbook that may help the readers in getting an idea on the history of linguistics and also its applications in the contemporary life. The main areas discussed in this book are historical linguistics, structural linguistics and socio-linguistics. The book provides visuals on the actual techniques and tools to be used in skilled application of language. Examples from other languages help in avoiding miscommunication.
These are Top 5 Recommended Books in the Study of Anthropology. They focus on the human population with its history of evolution, research on society and culture, discussions on human material culture and the processes of verbal and non verbal human communications and their variations and also their applications.
