Essay Example on Overlapping Ideas in Anthropology and a Holistic Perspective of Humankind

Anthropology is a very broad study of human diversity throughout space and time. This unique scientific and humanistic interpretation has four subfields: cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, anthropological linguistics, and archeology. Each is associated with the study of human culture and evolution using different materials and methods. Culture is an environmental force that affects our development and guides our emotional and cognitive growth. Another key factor in understanding human culture and growth is to approach the subject with a holistic view. Holism is the study of the past, present, and future of our biology, society, language and culture. These categories are the building blocks of Anthropology and overlap within the four main subfields.

Cultural anthropology can overlap with studies of foreign language,  economics, psychology, sociology, political science, ecology, and history. Physical anthropology also has many overlapping studies including primate biology and behavior, osteology, paleoanthropology, skeletal biology, human adaptation, human growth and genetics. Anthropological linguistics are typically studied by examining relationships between languages and culture and the role of language in our social lives. Lastly, archeology has conjoining studies with the other subfields which include geology, geography, ecology, and history.

All fields of anthropology cover a mix of biology, society, language, and culture as a whole. Throughout all fields of study, one of the most common themes is how we adapt. All homosapiens are able to adapt biologically, while we as human beings also adapt culturally. One of the key sub topics of biological anthropology is human growth and development. Cultural anthropology also compares the study of human growth and development in society. Ethnography can be included in these studies, as ethnographers participate in fieldwork that covers community, society, and culture. These three words are a broad combination of what describes anthropology as a whole and cover many things that can be studied in this field.

While a society can be studied by anthropologists and ethnologists for its culture, development, and interactions, societies can also be studied for their use of language. Studying the sociolinguistics of a society can determine the relationships between social and language variation. When studying this, past and ancient language can easily be conjoined with the field of archeology. Anthropologists could be studying an artifact with writing or symbols on it which would require the use of sociolinguistics. The studies of archeology and anthropological linguistics are intertwined and go together in many anthropological studies. 

All four subfields follow the belief and notion that human nature is not defined by one person, place, or society. These subfields all encapsulate anthropology as a humanistic science. An anthropologist's job is to seek explanation in societies that are developing in the world. They study all four of these subfields with not only quantitative and qualitative data, but more importantly interpretive and scientific data. Each subfield has its own unique subject of study, but the most common descriptor in each of the four definitions is “through time and space.”

One of the reasons that anthropology remains broad, with four fields, is that all anthropologists recognize and examine the concepts of culture, diversity, change, and holism. Looking at things from a holistic perspective helps to divide reality of mind and matter. Having a holistic view means providing support that looks at and evaluates the subject being studied as a whole. We must look at the big picture with a sum of all the parts. We should look at humankind as a web of dynamic interrelationships. Some examples of this can be politics, economy, religion, and ideology. What makes the holistic view of human anthropology unique is that it covers the past, present, and future.  

It is important to understand humankind from a holistic perspective because we as humans are made up of our understanding of the culture, people, and experiences that we are surrounded by. Someone who grew up in Egypt or Northern Africa would have very different cultural experiences and norms than someone who was raised in North America. We must understand each other as humans with respect. We might certainly not start participating in baksheesh or stop holding hands in public, but as humans respect our Egyptian neighbors’ cultural norms and traditions. In our different countries, societies, and communities, we all have our own views, but as a whole we are all humans. We are all ancestors of primates and we all inhabit our spaces and communities in our own unique ways.