Career penchant in Anthropology

Ranjan K Baruah *

Anthropology Department at Manipur University (MU), Canchipur in April 2012 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

One of the rewarding careers for students may be studying a subject to know more about human being and its past. Well, in this regard the subject that comes to our mind is Anthropology. The term Anthropology has been derived from two Greek terms namely 'anthropos' which means human and 'logos' means study. Thus Anthropology is the study of human beings in its absoluteness. Anthropology is the study of various aspects of humans within past and present societies.

Social anthropology and cultural anthropology study the norms and values of societies. Linguistic anthropology studies how language affects social life. Biological or physical anthropology studies the biological development of humans.

Archaeology, which studies past human cultures through investigation of physical evidence, is thought of as a branch of anthropology in the United States, while in Europe, it is viewed as a discipline in its own right, or grouped under other related disciplines such as history.

It is a global discipline involving humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. It builds upon knowledge from natural sciences, including the discoveries about the origin and evolution of Homo sapiens, human physical traits, human behavior, the variations among different groups of humans, how the evolutionary past of Homo sapiens has influenced its social organization and culture, and from social sciences, including the organization of human social and cultural relations, institutions, social conflicts, etc. Early anthropology originated in Classical Greece and Persia and studied and tried to understand observable cultural diversity.

As such, anthropology has been central in the development of several new (late 20th century) interdisciplinary fields such as cognitive science, global studies, and various ethnic studies.

It is science which deals with human civilizations, traditions, cultures, etc. In simple we can say it deals with study through which we could find changes that happened in the past and how people have progressed since early ages. Anthropology is about people, their relationships, and how they live together as members of society.

It contributes to the understanding and explanation of socio-cultural behaviour. Anthropologists as social scientists study the language, traditions, beliefs, possessions, and values of people in various parts of the world and formulate hypotheses to explain their research and findings.

Anthropologists take a broad approach to understanding the many different aspects of the human experience.. They consider the past, through archaeology, to see how human groups lived hundreds or thousands of years ago and what was important to them. They consider what makes up our biological bodies and genetics, as well as our bones, diet, and health.

Anthropologists also compare humans with other animals (most often, other primates like monkeys and chimpanzees) to see what we have in common with them and what makes us unique.

There are several branches of anthropology that deals with various aspects of human development i.e. Physical or Biological Anthropology, Socio-cultural Anthropology, Prehistoric Anthropology, Applied Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, etc. Students after passing senior secondary may opt for courses in Anthropology.

To be a professional Anthropologist one has to qualify B.Sc in Anthropology. The minimum qualification for B.Sc in Anthropology is 10+2 pass with science subjects. Some universities/colleges also offer B.A and M.A courses in Anthropology.

Anthropological Survey of India: It is a premier national institution of repute and is the only one of its kind anywhere in the world to pursue Anthropological research in a Governmental setup. The Anthropological Survey of India's genesis was from the Zoological and Anthropological section of the Indian Museum, which became the Zoological Survey of India in 1916. In 1945, Anthropology section of the Zoological Survey was carved out to become the Anthropological Survey of India.

Updates:

USIEF Fellowships: The United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) promotes mutual understanding between the people of the United States and India through academic and cultural exchange. Since 1950, the Fulbright Program has sponsored Indians from all walks of life to gain a greater understanding of U.S. society, culture, and values, and to foster a deeper appreciation of India amongst their American colleagues. USIEF has announced Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships and other opportunities for the academic year 2018-2019.