Whats the difference between anthropology and urban anthropology?

Question

Whats the difference between anthropology and urban anthropology?

Answer 1

Anthropology more often takes indigenous cultures and societies as subject matter, which often excludes the study of industrialised societies. The skew in perception is a problem, as such a tendency is a hindrance to the study and understanding of how people sustain themselves in their environments considering that the urban environment, although more man-made than it is natural, support a significant portion of the human population. Such a disparity is what urban anthropology is trying to overcome, how do humans survive in an "urban environment", while employing most of the methodologies well-established in conventional anthropology. One interesting example of this would be the analysis of urban trash sites as if they were of an ancient or indigenous origin. There was an exhibition at San Francisco International Airport of Bay Area landfills, which revealed fascinating artifacts discarded by Bay Area residents living there a century ago.