What are the holistic things/approaches in studying anthropology?

Question

What are the holistic things/approaches in studying anthropology?

Answer 1

Jamie outlines how this is supposed to work and got a thumbs up from me for her efforts.  

The notion was (I can't say 'is' for reasons I will discuss below) that anthropology could provide a more all-considering and inductive approach to the study of our species by avoiding the narrowness of biological science (which is now turning out to be much LESS narrow than anthropology itself), history, and other social sciences.

However, I am not aware of a single scholar in anthropology or my own field (archaeology, which, btw, is much more than a subfield of anthropology) who actually does anthropology this way any more.  In practical fact, the discipline is highly fragmented and it is almost impossible for most archaeologists, for example, to find any usefulness in most of the work conducted by cultural and linguistic anthropologists, etc etc.  

Perhaps holism still has its merits, and perhaps the idea of developing a grand theory of humanity will some day be realized.  But currently, outside of biological evolution (something most anthropologists comprehend in only a lay capacity), there are no clearly viable candidates which would stand up to any level of scientific scrutiny.

Answer 2

The "holistic" approach refers in anthropology to the four-field approach, which helps to show why anthropology is an all-encompassing science. This includes:

1. Biological or physical anthropology- The study of the physiology of humans throughout their evolution. This can include forensic anthropology and paleoanthropology

2. Linguistic anthropology- The study of human communication evolution, style, and technique, verbal and non-verbal

3. Archaeology- The study of the physical remains of past societies of human beings in an attempt to understand past cultures

4. Socio-cultural anthropology- The study of a present-day society and it's culture. This is usually an intensive, long study that utilizes participant observation. The anthropologist would study kinship, communication, exchange of goods and services, religious customs and other rituals, etc. This is usually in the pursuit of writing an ethnography.

Answer 3

jamie knows her stuff!  Thumbs up!

Answer 4

When you study an indigenous culture you can learn about their alternative medicines.