anthropologi

Anthropologi, or anthropology in English, is the comparative study of humans in their biological and cultural dimensions. It examines what it means to be human across time and space, including how societies organize themselves, communicate, create technology, and adapt to environments. Anthropologists use fieldwork and cross-cultural comparison to understand beliefs, practices, and social structures.

The field is traditionally divided into four subfields: cultural anthropology (and social anthropology), which studies living cultures and practices; archaeology, which investigates past societies through material remains; biological or physical anthropology, which explores human evolution and biology; and linguistic anthropology, which analyzes language in social context. Interdisciplinary methods include ethnography, participant observation, interviews, surveys, and analysis of artifacts and genomes.

The discipline emerged in the 19th century with scholars who sought to compare human societies and origins. Early debates centered on evolution, diffusion, and culture. In the 20th century, Boas emphasized cultural relativism and historical particularism; Malinowski refined fieldwork and functionalism; later theorists such as Lévi-Strauss and postmodern and interpretive approaches broadened analysis. Today, anthropology engages with globalization, mobility, and issues like identity, power, and health.

Applied anthropology uses insights to address real-world problems in development, education, health, heritage preservation, and policy. Ethical considerations include informed consent, collaboration with communities, benefit-sharing, and respect for indigenous rights. Debates include relativism, representation, and the observer's role; the discipline remains committed to holistic, comparative perspectives on human life.