Key Takeaways
- Social anthropology focuses on society and social institutions, while cultural anthropology focuses on the culture of a society.
- Both social and cultural anthropology use participant observation as a main research technique.
- Social anthropology is more popular in Britain, while cultural anthropology is more popular in the United States.
Social and Cultural Anthropology are two branches of anthropology with distinct differences. These differences primarily lie in the focus of each discipline. Social anthropology is a field of study that concentrates on society and social institutions, whereas cultural anthropology emphasizes the culture of a society, including behavioral patterns, language, customs, rituals, laws, ideals, and arts.
What is Social Anthropology?
Social anthropology is concerned with gaining a deeper understanding of social structure and the relationships between various social institutions, such as family, education, politics, religion, and the economy. Each institution plays a specific role in society and contributes to maintaining social order. Social anthropologists seek to understand the role of these institutions, their nature, and their relationships with one another.
Originating in Britain and influenced by French intellectual currents, social anthropology relies heavily on the research technique of participant observation, allowing the anthropologist to become a part of the society being studied to gain a broader understanding of social ties within that society. Social anthropology primarily provides qualitative data, which enables the researcher to explore in-depth information about social structures and relationships among social institutions. After completing fieldwork, anthropologists produce ethnographies, which are lengthy, in-depth accounts of a particular society, its structure, relationships, and social institutions.
What is Cultural Anthropology?
Cultural anthropology focuses on the culture of a society, including the study of behavioral patterns, language, customs, rituals, laws, ideals, and arts. Cultural anthropologists are interested in learning about and understanding the various cultures of people in different societies. They study the unique elements of a culture, such as specific rituals, and try to comprehend the subjective meaning people assign to these rituals. Cultural anthropologists then attempt to analyze these subjective interpretations in an objective and scientific manner using anthropological approaches.
Cultural anthropology is more popular in the United States than social anthropology, with key figures including Ruth Benedict and Franz Boas. Historically, cultural anthropological studies often focused on isolated communities, but the focus has shifted in modern times to include more populated societies as well.
What is the Difference Between Social and Cultural Anthropology?
While both social and cultural anthropology share the research technique of participant observation, their main focuses differ. Social anthropology concentrates on social institutions, their relationships, and society as a whole, while cultural anthropology is concerned with rituals, customs, arts, language, beliefs, and culture in general. Additionally, social anthropology is more popular in Britain, while cultural anthropology is more popular in the United States.
