Application of Anthropological Skills - Essay Example

Answer the Q Question one Application of anthropological skills to underlying practical locations normally clash with the historical goals of anthropology. Since anthropology is known as the study of humankind history, its underlying application mainly entails methods and theory in the analysis of solution to the practical problems. Applied anthropology entails involvement of the underlying researcher in the activities community and numerous locations such as advancement, kinship, feminism, feminism gender and sexuality, political and legal, nature science and technology (Haviland, Fedorak & Lee, 2008). Due to the rise of the contemporary issues pertaining to the advancement, kinship, feminism, feminism gender and sexuality, political and legal, nature science and technology in the modern universe anthropology tend to go further beyond its historical set goals. Development of perception from critical perspective of anthropology mainly addresses issues of poverty, gaps in regard to the outlined strategy and results. This makes anthropologist to work in development thus disregard history and the lessons it might offer, reasons for driving development externally rather than having an internal basis, and reasons that make planned development fail. The prevailing distinction amidst anthropology of development and corresponding development anthropology is mainly the application of the anthropological perspectives in regard to numerous branches development studies (Haviland, Fedorak & Lee, 2008). This also takes into account the international development and the international aid as primary objects. Thus, advancement of anthropology encompasses social action in modification of the economic, technical, political and social life for particular locations in the universe. This greatly compromises the historical goals of anthropology. This is because they tend to concentrate on impoverished, formerly colonized regions. Development anthropologists have a commitment to simultaneously critique and contribute to projects and institutions that create and administer Western projects that seek to improve the economic well-being of the most marginalized, and to eliminate poverty. Kinship mainly deals with both the patterns of social relationships in numerous human cultures and corresponding patterns of social relationships in them. Thus, anthropology practically develops associated related concepts and terms entailing descent, descent groups, lineages, affines, cognates and fictive kinship. Nevertheless, kinship patterns developed by anthropology mainly take into consideration people related both by ones social relations during development, and also relatives by marriage leaving out the historical part, which is extremely fundamental. Feminist anthropology seeks to reduce male bias in research findings, anthropological hiring practices, and the scholarly production of knowledge. It majorly addresses social imbalance amidst males and the females in regard to resource allocation and roles played inheritance. Anthropologists have increasingly study more complex social settings in which the presence of states, bureaucracies and markets entered both ethnographic accounts and analysis of local paenomena. Moreover, legal anthropology entails Anthropology of Law and specializes in the cross-cultural study of social ordering (Haviland, Fedorak & Lee, 2008). Originally it focused more on crime, sanctions, conflict management and formal regulation, which were the initial historical goals. Question two Cultures have different types of family systems. In North America the family mainly consists of the nuclear family, consisting of father, mother and the children, is the most dominant. Moreover, increase of nuclear families and the decrease of extended families, with the increase of unmarried families, divorced families, unmarried mothers, and homosexual families. Nuclear families have also been increasing in all the continents of the world. Family is analyzed as a social system in different cultures is carried out in three sections (Haviland, Fedorak & Lee, 2008). Family in North America is mainly defined as a social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation, and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. Main function of family entails procreation and socialization of children, sexual regulation, economic cooperation, and provision of care, affection and companionship. Family structure include mother and father, each society assigns specific roles assigned to the family members. In North America the traditional roles of the nuclear family in the middle of the 20th century were the working father, and the mother whose role was the housewife and responsible for raising the children. The different family types and corresponding structures are based on anthropological and sociological studies of small and large societies throughout the world. The family types include the two or three generation families. In North America, there is two generation family which can take the form of nuclear or one parent family. Cultures vary widely in terms of types of family, the complex relationships between kin, procedure of marriage, divorce, habitation, and development of children (Haviland, Fedorak & Lee, 2008). North America views their descent in terms of nuclear or single parent families as opposed to most parts of the world where the extended family is predominant. In North America it is the roles of parents to provide for the family. In most parts of the world it is the fathers to provide while mothers are to bear children, look after the homes. There is an increasing number of single parents in North America this is due to divorce hence most children are raised by single parents, unlike most parts of the world where raising a child is the work of both parents and the community as they embrace extended family. Question 3 Anthropology is mainly compared to numerous professions and anthropologists normally undertake educational careers, training colleges and undertaking research program (Haviland, Fedorak & Lee, 2008). I. Business Research Business anthropology, as a subfield of applied anthropology, applies anthropological theories and methods in exploring and solving problems in the real business world. It studies means of improving the business efficiency and work processes in workplace. This aids individuals in comprehending culture of an organization by studying group behavior. It also aids managers dealing with issues of organizational change due to the merge of companies. Business anthropologists can offer suggestions on marketing strategies by studying consumer behavior, product design by discovering consumers’ needs thus assisting multinational corporations in comprehending the cultures in numerous countries in regard to the trend of globalization and diversity involved the business world. II. Market Research Market research analysts entail researching on the prevailing clients favorites and purchasing habits. Thus, market researchers employ numerous identical research techniques that corresponding anthropologists also utilized. Progressively, market investigation also utilizes statistical scrutiny techniques to comprehend prevailing market situations. III. Policy Study Anthropologists are mainly interested in executing prevailing public policy, which mainly revolves around the administration regulations in sectors such as learning and healthcare in the society. Thus, policy analysts undertake study in order to measure their impacts. IV. Government Professions The federal administration is a renowned and biggest worker in regard to anthropology studies. Moreover, application of anthropologists within the underlying administration agencies accomplishes programs and assesses its anticipated impacts. Therefore, Federal agencies apply anthropology techniques in areas such as learning, human services and corresponding healthcare V. Nonprofit Organizations Nonprofit organizations mainly entail benevolent groups and historical museums. They mainly employ anthropology techniques in initiating agencies and corresponding programs managers and museum superintendents. Question four Ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words and objects, performed in a sequestered place, and according to the sequence. It is prescribed by the traditions of a community. Rituals are utilized in social control, communication and in disciplinary program. A taboo is prohibition of an action based on the underlying belief such as behavior, which are scared and threat of supernatural. Nevertheless, social sciences strong prohibit relation to human activity based on moral judgment and religious beliefs (Haviland, Fedorak & Lee, 2008). Taboo is utilized to reveal histories of societies in places where there are no adequate records. Understanding how systems work, we will realize that we cant just blunder into another cultures way of doing things, or make changes in our own ways of doing things, without causing repercussions elsewhere. Social customs and beliefs are intricately connected, like the hundreds of bones that make up a skeleton. This fact can be used to impede change or to accelerate it. Reference Haviland, W., Fedorak, S., & Lee, R. (2008). Cultural Anthropology. : Nelson Publishing 4th ed. Read More