Anthropology

People generally become anthropologists out of curiosity about human interaction and production: Why do we clap our hands to express approval? What beliefs did ancient tribes hold about the seasons? Why did the ancient Egyptians bury objects with their dead? Since anthropology encompasses so many different aspects of human behavior, however, they must narrow their field of study to cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, physical anthropology, or archaeology. Whichever field they choose to investigate, they base their research on three important concepts: evolution, society, and culture.

An MSN encyclopedia article about anthropology stresses that researchers must carry out their work as unobtrusively as possible, lest they introduce concepts or technological items from their own culture into the one they are studying. This raises the kind of complex question that anthropologists grapple with all the time: Why should we assume that a culture that has existed for hundreds, possibly thousands of years, is so malleable that it will readily adopt alien customs or desire gadgetry? Anthropologists also face the sometimes difficult task of upholding the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a 1948 document that states that all cultures have the right to practice their traditions: how should anthropologists react when confronted by such customs as infanticide and ritual mutilation?

The Internet addresses these and other ethical concerns at many websites, several of which are maintained by universities and include copious links to clubs, associations, and journals. Some sites also feature job postings as well as lists of conferences. E-mail directories further ensure that anthropologists can easily keep in touch with each other and with students.