UNLOCK MANKIND’S MYSTERIES
Anthropologists study human evolution, in sub-fields of culture, linguistics, archaeology and biology
From page 11 DEFINITION
Simply put, anthropology is the study of man and his sociological
history. The subject traces the development of humans—right from our
ancestors who lived a few million years ago to the present.
SCOPE / FIELDS:
Anthropology can be broken into specialised fields of research, including:
1. Physical Anthropology: The study of humans as physical organisms, dealing with the emergence of humans and the subsequent biological variations.
2. Cultural Anthropology: The understanding of thought process and behaviour pattern of a particular society by studying its language, religious beliefs, food preferences, taboos etc.
3. Archaeology: This reconstructs the daily life and customs of peoples who lived in the past through excavation. For all those past societies before written records existed, archaeologists serve as historians. 4. Linguistic Anthropology: Anthropological linguists are primarily interested in the emergence of language and its divergence over time.
5. Ethnology: Ethnologists seek to understand how and why people and cultures today differ from those in the past, in both thought and action.
6. Applied Anthropology It deals with trying to improve people’s lives through projects tailormade to suit their cultural and sociological needs.
ACADEMIC PATH
Counsellor Jayanti Ghose says, “Anthropology is available at both the bachelor’s level or at the master’s level in a limited number of universities. An undergraduate degree in the biological sciences or the social sciences would be equally useful as a base for higher studies in anthropology. Specialisations at the master’s degree level could be in biological/physical anthropology or social/cultural anthropology. There is huge scope for medical anthropology, ecological or environmental anthropology, forensic anthropology, and so on for PhD programmes.”
SKILLS AND TRAITS:
Anthropologists need to cultivate the three Ps: Patience, Perseverance and a Philanthropic bent of mind
Besides these, one needs to have a love for academics and history.
Anthropology isn’t a field for the fickle or the restless. It requires years of dedication and relentless research on every subject, and a lot of patience.
CLOCKWORK:
Although anthropological research can span months, years and even decades, it comes with the thrill of new discoveries and insights into the development of the world as we know it today.
PAYOFFS:
In the initial years, the remuneration may not be too much, but once you accumulate enough research and field experience, the sky is the limit. Freshers are usually absorbed by NGOs or their professors for research for a salary of approximately R8,000 to
R12,000 per month. As one spends longer on a project or with an NGO, the designation improves and so does the pay. The real payoff comes from corporate houses that hire anthropologists for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and community projects. Teaching in colleges and companies overseas are other lucrative options.
EXPERT SPEAK
“Anthropology isn’t a field for the fickle or the restless. It requires years of dedication and relentless research on every subject,” says Dr Pragyan Paramita Patnaik, Mumbai-based anthropologist who works on a projectwise basis for corporate houses and NGOs.
Anthropologists need to cultivate the three Ps: Patience, Perseverance and a Philanthropic bent of mind
Besides these, one needs to have a love for academics and history.
Anthropology isn’t a field for the fickle or the restless. It requires years of dedication and relentless research on every subject, and a lot of patience.
CLOCKWORK:
Although anthropological research can span months, years and even decades, it comes with the thrill of new discoveries and insights into the development of the world as we know it today.
PAYOFFS:
In the initial years, the remuneration may not be too much, but once you accumulate enough research and field experience, the sky is the limit. Freshers are usually absorbed by NGOs or their professors for research for a salary of approximately R8,000 to
R12,000 per month. As one spends longer on a project or with an NGO, the designation improves and so does the pay. The real payoff comes from corporate houses that hire anthropologists for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and community projects. Teaching in colleges and companies overseas are other lucrative options.
EXPERT SPEAK
“Anthropology isn’t a field for the fickle or the restless. It requires years of dedication and relentless research on every subject,” says Dr Pragyan Paramita Patnaik, Mumbai-based anthropologist who works on a projectwise basis for corporate houses and NGOs.
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