Anthropology

[kushycrizzak]

A teacher suggested I explore the field of anthropology after ( if ) I graduate. He made it sound pretty interesting and he's one of the few teachers in the school who actually give a shit about students but I dunno, "human beings studying human beings" sounds kinda silly. anyone else's thoughts?

 

[wartomods]

i have absolutely no idea

 

[Beyond The Sun]

I don't think it's human beings studying human beings (though in some respects I suppose it is), so much as it is human beings studying the cultures of other human beings.
I think it's a pretty interesting subject. By understanding--or trying to understand--other cultures you can gain a fresh perspective on the culture that you were brought up in.
I think it's also important because it creates a way to break down false notions that have been built up around people who in your own culture are looked at as "the other." Ultimately I think it probably helps those who otherwise would not care or think about various cultures to realize that we really are all just the same, people have just coped with their different environments in vastly different ways.
I kind of see anthropology as a way to help take the self-centeredness out of a dominant culture's myopic viewpoint. That's just my 2 cents though.

 

[Angela]

A teacher suggested I explore the field of anthropology after ( if ) I graduate. He made it sound pretty interesting and he's one of the few teachers in the school who actually give a shit about students but I dunno, "human beings studying human beings" sounds kinda silly. anyone else's thoughts?

It is very interesting, but I won't claim to be unbiased since it's what I studied in college. It's a field that has grown to include a tremendous amount of specialties and areas of interests that often don't include what people traditionally stereotype as anthropology. Just be warned though that all the interesting stuff, you won't be taught in some introductory college classes. Human beings studying other human beings doesn't seem to really capture what anthropology is but the same could be said about any of the social sciences which all study different aspects of human beings or human systems.

 

[mkirby]

Read some books by Daniel Quinn or Colin M. Turnbull.

 

[hassysmacker]

Read some books by Daniel Quinn or Colin M. Turnbull.

or STanley Diamond, or Jared Diamond, or Derrick Jensen, or Marshall Sahlins, or etc (do you want more?)

 

[veggieguy12]

Yes, anthropology will tell you the many varied ways humans have lived; this is, broadly, tribally or Civilized. Amongst the Civilized you can see the various nations of the world and our differences in religion, customs, diet, history, tradition, governments, etc. Amongst the uncivilized you will see the same distinctions, but you're more relegated to history, given that Civilization has left very few tribes around to practice their sustainable and time-tested ways of living harmoniously with the environments they inhabit.

The writers mkirby & hassysmacker have mentioned will illustrate the craziness of our dysfunctional culture (Civ), and give passing mentions of tribes in occasional examples. If this at all sounds interesting, why not read some Wikipedia pages on anthropology and these writers, then maybe check the reviews about their major works.
And please let us know here what you think.

 

[LovelyAcorns]

Seems like a good career to easily be subversive. Plus it should get you into places that radicals probably shouldn't be allowed.

 

[ScreamingAntagonasm!]

Anthropology is one of the "accepted" fields where anarchism is prominent as academic study (whatever that means... or whatever that's worth). While authors like Derrick Jensen and Daniel Quinn are very compelling and can be considered anthropological in nature, for a more "academic" style reading (ie, what to focus on in a collegiate setting), I'd say to turn to...

Pierre Clastres - 'Society Against the State'
Pierre Clastres - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Graeber - 'Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology'
David Graeber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

... and I have to run, but Stanley Diamond, and more. I'll give more recommendations (and reply to your PM) later.

 

[macks]

So, it depends on what you want to do. I would say that if you're just interested in the topic and not a career that you just read up on it and skip out on paying someone a bunch of money to tell you what the books say. Anthropology is one of those degrees that doesn't have a whole lot of readily available real-life work application with an undergraduate degree. However, if you're really passionate about being an 'accredited' anthropologist as a career choice then college is pretty much a must. That said, as an amateur anthropologist you can totally get people to publish your work if it's good, but don't expect it to bring home the bacon.

 

[wizehop]

Anthropology is usefull if your actually interested in human history and not just looking to further current beleifs. I find it fascinating and Im surprised we never really focused on it in public school considering the insite on our scocieties ext. that we can gain from it all.

I find is especially interesting that is some pockets such as Papua New Guinea there beleifs are so different from the majority of the world..how did they get that way and the rest of us another way?

Example:
eastgarden Papua New Guinea