This is the branch of Zoology and it defined as
Anthropology's basic concerns are "What defines human life
and society?", "How are social relations among humans
organized?", "Who are the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens?",
"What are humans' physical traits?", "How do humans
behave?", "Why are there variations among different groups of
humans?", "How has the evolutionary past of Homo sapiens influenced
its social organization and culture?" and so forth.[citation needed]
In the United States, contemporary anthropology is typically
divided into four sub-fields: cultural anthropology also known as socio-cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and physical (or biological) anthropology. The four-field approach to anthropology is reflected in many American
undergraduate textbooks and
anthropology programs. At universities in the United Kingdom, and much of Europe,
these "sub-fields" are frequently housed in separate departments and
are seen as distinct disciplines - with the field corresponding to American
socio-cultural anthropology being simply anthropology.
19th
Century to 1940s
From its beginnings in the early 19th century through the early
20th century, anthropology in the United States was influenced by the
presence of Native American societies
Cultural anthropology in the United States
was influenced greatly by the ready availability of Native American societies
as ethnographic subjects. The field was pioneered by staff of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology, men such as John Wesley Powell and Frank Hamilton Cushing.
Lewis Henry Morgan (1818–1881), a lawyer
from Rochester, New York,
became an advocate for and ethnological scholar of the Iroquois. His comparative analyses of religion, government,
material culture, and especially kinship patterns proved to be influential
contributions to the field of anthropology. Like other scholars of his day
(such as Edward Tylor),
Morgan argued that human societies could be classified into categories of
cultural evolution on a scale of progression that ranged from savagery, to barbarism,
to civilization. Generally, Morgan used
technology (such as bowmaking or pottery) as an indicator of position on this
scale
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