What exactly is Anthropology?
NO. 1
Anthropology is the study of various cultures all around the world. First, we study all human societies and cultures to determine our future and development. There are four subdivisions of anthropology, visual, cultural, biological, and archeological. As an anthropologist, I explore human connections, rituals, gender inequalities, globalization, war, genocide, climate change, colonialism, what culture means, and how important it is that we all learn from the past so that we can change and improve our future.
NO. 2
When I attended high school, I felt like my education was limited. I was only learning about European history, and it was only when I got to college did things change, and I learned about things I should have known since the eighth grade or younger. I feel like every student, but especially POC students should have a vast amount of knowledge about cultures all over the world, and not just European. It was a lot of information I took in during my four years in college, but I don’t regret learning about why humans are the way they are, and why our society is the way it is. When people talk about anthropologists, they usually bring up popular movies like Indiana Jones, AND I’ll admit that’s where I learned about it before school. But movies that involve main characters who are historians, or archeologists who study humans through their material remains, must also be stereotyped as ‘treasure hunters’, ‘adventurers’, or ‘cool detectives’ who uncover what they’re finding without any help or colleagues to support them, who are almost always straight, of European background, male, and are almost always inaccurate.
NO. 3
The truly comical thing about is this? Since it is stereotyped that it’s a once in a lifetime job it is seen as ‘frivolous’, and not an actual lifechanging career that focuses on all contemporary human culture, like language, economic systems, social systems, art, and ideology. Social science focuses on the study of humanity, and they should be the forefront for everyone to study and learn from. And though I realize that we’re living in the technological age, those who study archaeology use technology, and explicitly use scientific method. When I was young, I was fascinated with history, with culture, and I wanted to change the world. I still believe in that sentiment, but I also understand that nothing will change if we don’t closely study the systems and cultures that benefit to an unjust, and unchanging society.
