Question: what is an anthropologist

Jim Caryl answered on 17 Jun 2011:

An anthropologist is someone who studies humans, the same way as other scientists might look at giraffes.

Social anthropologists might look at why humans interact they way they do, how human cultures form and why they form the way the do, and to study populations of humans who have been isolated for perhaps tens of thousands of years, to see how their languages and cultures have evolved.

Biological anthropologists might look at why humans look the way we do, what has led to the particular features of our bodies to evolve in the way that they did and where did we come from. The might seek to compare out skeletons with those of our ancient ancestors and other human species that are now long extinct, to understand our origins.

I’ve always been interested in reading about anthropology, but it’s important to realise that there are many overlapping disciplines – as there are throughout the sciences. A social anthropologist might work with linguists to understand the history and development of unique languages used by tribal peoples, or ethnologists to study the belief systems of such people. Social anthropology also shares interests with sociology and human geography, all of which can complement each other with respects to the different ways they look at mankind.

Biological anthropologists can be skilled paleontologists (the people typically seen digging up dinosaurs) as early human-like species (hominids) are found as fossils. They may work with geneticists, physiologists and anatomists to study how we spread around the world, what we ate, and how the re-shaping our our bodies allowed us to develop tools and technology to eventually become the people that we are today.

So do you think it sounds like an interesting subject? I do!