Hello steemit, I know I've been away for some days, but I'm back now, for good. I've actually been pondering on a topic to write about, without knowing the answer was right before me, and I'm glad I've come to realise it.
If you read my introductory post, you'd find out that I'm a sociologist in the making, in the prestigious university of Benin. Basically, sociologists deal with the human life, and the society we live in. We make researches about people, their social life, way of living also known as culture, and the likes. So here's the deal, I'll write an introductory post now on sociology and anthropology.
Talking about anthropology, it is derived from the Greek word 'anthropos', meaning 'man', and 'logia', meaning 'to study'. In essence, anthropology is simply the study of man. It is also the study of all aspects of human life and culture - human races, origins, societies and culture. Anthropology attempts to provide a general worldview, characterized by its 'holistic' deal, a belief that an understanding of human nature requires drawing together and relating information from all aspects of the human condition.
The word anthropology was first found in English in an anonymous book on human nature, which divided the subject into psychology and anatomy. In the modern sense of the word, it is found in Hundt's Anthropologeion (1501) dealing with anatomy, and Capella's L'Anthropologia (1533) dealing with personal singularities.
Anthropology can be said to be holistic, which refers to the study of the whole of the human condition, past, present, future, biology, sociology, language and culture. It is also the study of human's immediate ancestors.
Anthropology as in the United kingdom and parts of Europe can be described in 2 broad classifications of sub-disciplines:
- physical /biological anthropology
- social /cultural.
Now, there are sub-fields under physical / biological and social / cultural anthropology. One of this sub-divisions is ethnology.
Ethnology is a branch of the sub-field of socio-cultural anthropology that analyses cultures, especially in regard to their historical development and the similarities and dissimilarities between them. It is also known as the science that deals with the division of human beings into races and their origin, distribution, relations and characteristics.
Ethnology examines, interprets and analyzes, and compares the results of ethnography - the data gathered from different societies. The word ethnography comes from the Greek word 'ethnos' meaning 'people' and 'graphy' meaning 'writing'.
Ethnography is an essential part of anthropology. It literally means 'a portrait of a people'. Ethnography is a written description of a particular culture- the customs, beliefs and behavior based on information collected through field work.
Having giving you all an insight on what my course is all about, I shall be writing in my next post, an ethnography about a culture. Since it's going to be my first ethnography here on steemit, I shall be writing about my own people first. Cultures, traditions, norms, and the likes. Please don't get culture shocked, lol. Have a nice time my people, thank you.