The document discusses the evolution of anthropology from its early social Darwinist roots to modern approaches. It traces how anthropology shifted from justifying social inequalities based on evolutionary ideas of survival of the fittest, to developing more scientific and culturally relative approaches exemplified by Franz Boas and his empirical cultural studies. More recent evolutionary approaches view culture as adapting to local ecologies, with cultural materialism analyzing how material conditions shape cultural practices and worldviews.

1. The Evolution of Anthropolgy

2. Explaining Human Behaviour Psychology: unconscious motivations Neuropsychology: brain chemicals Anthropology: culture is everything

3. Understanding Ourselves How do we explain? Religion Science Human Behaviour History Literature Anthro

4. Evolution of Anthropology Social Darwinism Scientific Study Functionalism E mile Durkheim Culture is the product Of people interacting with institutions Functions like parts of a machine or body Franz Boas Collect data study people scientific approach Develop hypothesis and Gather data Charles Darwin Edward Tylor Hebert Spencer Evolutionary ideas about culture Misuse of Darwin’s idea Survival of the fittest= justification For inequalities

5. More Evolution Neo-evolutionary Cultural Materialism Cognitive approach Biology is the common unifier Marvin Harris Cultural relativism Cultures develop in adaptation to a specific geography and ecology Example: Jared Diamond

6. Evolutionary view:Social Darwinism Before Darwin, religious ideas were the source of our understanding about ‘evolution’ and man’s behaviour Hebert Spencer + Edward Tylor misused Darwin’s ideas to justify Laissez-faire social policies Eugenics and ‘scientific racism come from this time

7. Might = Right Justification for colonialism Days of the slave trade

8. Eugenics + Scientific Racism People who can dominate others are inherently superior Dangerous armchair anthropologist

9. Scientific Approach Franz Boas Geologist, scientist Collected data + scientific method Study of European immigrants They’re not inferior, just bad diets Primitive languages are not primitive, Just different Beginnings of cultural relativism

10. Structural Functionalism Emile Durkheim Sociology influences anthropology Culture is like a machine/body Interdependent parts 5 institutions work together Culture = homeostasis Brings respect for cultural differences Doesn’t explain war, chaos, revolutions

11. Rain Dance What’s the point if it doesn’t work? Manifest vs latent function It works in hidden ways

12. Neo-Evolutionary Approach Different paths to evolution Function of how we extract energy from the planet Culture = adaptation to its ecology Jared Diamond Lots of energy=larger social group

13. Beginnings of cultural relativism Hunter/gatherers produce less than farmers One is not necessarily better than the other Question of adaptation to context Beans in the Arctic? Strategy for survival = ecological context

14. Cultural Materialism From Marxist thinking Culture is understood by the material restraints on it Pigs in Fertile Crescent Sacred Cows in India

15. 12 units of vegetable protein = 1 unit of meat protein Meat is a luxury Pigs destroy roots

16. Feminist Anthropology What about the gatherers? Women interpret history differently Tools or relationships?

17. Culture is ...you finish this sentence

18. Culture is... transmitted inherited Evolution ? biological ecological