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Social Anthropology Methods

2022 SOCIOLOGY-COMPLETE SOLUTIONS

1) Social Anthropology can be described as the scientific study of man, culture and society. The aim is to know the truth about the affairs of the society. It seeks to develop skills so that humans can lead a better life. For this the use of scientific method is necessary. If there’s science, there’s definitely a way. Theory, methodology and data go together. Social anthropology has a well-developed methodology for learning about societies.

2) What is unique to social anthropology ‘within the realm of social science’ is its fieldwork method which is the guiding force of the discipline. Law is logic. What do anthropologists do when they are faced with a problem – they try to solve it logically.

3) In short, they make logical sense for the problem. They argue how the problem can be solved logically so that the desired objective is met. It is the reasoning that leads to the attainment of the objectives of the reasoning in order to pursue the research problem. In short, the method is the logic of investigation; It is a role to fulfill an end.

4) Fieldwork and empirical tradition in social anthropological research have been constant features of social anthropology. It began with travelogues written by travelers who had been traveling to far-flung corners of the world for almost four hundred years since the ‘Age of Columbus’. As already discussed, these travelogues provided basic data for early social anthropologists. The facts gathered by these travelers, Mr.

5) Senior and government officials were valuable in making other Europeans aware of the diverse human life on earth.

6) Senior and government officials were valuable in making other Europeans aware of the diverse human life on earth.

7) Kshatriyas, and government officials were valuable in making other Europeans aware of the diverse human life on earth.

8) Many European thinkers became interested about non-European cultures and gradually the ‘Study of Man’ was initiated based on the accounts of travelers, missionaries and government officials.

9) The anthropologists of the nineteenth century were fully involved in the exploration of the diversity of human culture but they were detached from the harsh life of the actual field.

10) He used to sit in his house only watching the accounts given by other people. The value of fieldwork was realized in the early twentieth century when the approach to social anthropology changed. It was understood that it was very important for the social anthropologist to experience the real life situation in order to obtain accurate and relevant data. Many anthropologists of this time associated themselves with tribal groups. E.B. Tylor was the first scholar to stress the need for direct data-collection in anthropology, but Boas was the first to introduce the practice. The earliest attempts to collect professional data, as mentioned earlier,

11) was created in America by Franz Boas. He commanded the Jessup North Pacific Expedition in 1897. A second attempt at fieldwork was made in England in 1898 under the joint leadership of Hayden, Rivers and Seligman. This is known as the Cambridge Expedition to Torres Straits.

12) The most outstanding fieldwork tradition in anthropology was developed by Malinowski. He believed that different aspects of people’s lives are interrelated. Malinowski also emphasized fieldwork as the primary method of collecting anthropological data. According to Malinowski (1922: 6), a cultural anthropologist “must have real scientific aims and know the values and norms of modern ethnography … he must apply a number of special methods to collect, manipulate and fix his evidence”. have to do”.

13) Malinowski established participation as an important technique of fieldwork. After Malinowski we come to A.R. Can be named. Radcliffe-Brown who did extensive fieldwork in the Andaman Islands.

14) Early fieldworkers sought to understand how all parts of society fit together to work. He insisted on expansion. He tried to gather every bit of information available on the field. He developed the habit of filling his notebooks with details of what he saw and heard, and those unprecedented ethnographic activities resulted in ethnographic monographs.

15) In fact, a social anthropologist has to live and work in two worlds. The field becomes the laboratory where one collects data and lives with the tribals very different from their own world. Once he is back from the field, he sits down with the collected data and starts analyzing them to draw conclusions.

16) Subjectivity became a major issue in this ethnographic account. Since social anthropology is an empirical discipline, it is characterized by an absence of deep respect for facts and little attention to their observation and description.

Due to taking it, it becomes weak. A self-indulgent attitude can produce disastrous effects. But, beyond all this, fieldwork became an essential part of social anthropology and the tradition evolved with some new methods and techniques which made themselves relevant in the present day context. Qualitative research that includes extensive descriptive accounts has become very useful and important in today’s world. Not only anthropology but also other disciplines such as sociology and management studies are involved in this type of research. But fieldwork is unique to social anthropology.

17) Fieldwork is a part of training in socio-cultural anthropology. Every anthropologist must undergo this training during his initial studies. It enables a student to view a foreign culture with objectivity.

18) Learning about two different societies (including our own) gives a student a comparative perspective i.e. he/she is able to assess the similarities or dissimilarities between any two societies or cultures. The comparative method occupies a very important place in the fieldwork tradition in anthropology. A comprehensive comparison was attempted by social anthropologists during the nineteenth century. It pertains to the society as a whole and also to particular institutions and practices such as the kinship system, marriage practices, magical practices and religious beliefs etc.

19) There is a clear recognition of history as a method in the anthropological monograph. There are two classical streams in social anthropology employing history as a method of study. One use of history is non-chronological. Evolutionary anthropologists used such history as a method to study society. The second stream is Marxist.

20) Another important method in anthropology is the functional method. functionalism,

emerged as a method of study in social anthropology

Rebellion against the historical method. Interestingly, evolutionary historicism was discredited by the emergence of empiricism. Empiricism is experience. When social anthropologists made holistic studies through empiricism, functionalism came to be known as a new idiom of methodology. Functionalism advocated a holistic study of society through fieldwork.

New methods in social anthropology are emerging in response to new challenges with new demands. The technologies associated with these methods are also changing. New techniques have also been designed to suit the methodological demands. The traditional techniques are – observation, schedules, questionnaire, interview, case study, survey, genealogy etc. Along with new methods such as ethnography, new techniques are emerging. The emergence of new branches like developmental anthropology, visual anthropology etc. are also demanding new methodological frameworks. Anthropology like any other discipline is also experiencing new dimensions with the passage of time. The methodological dimension is also not aloof from such changes.

Scientific Method

Scientific method refers to any such method of research, by which unbiased and systematic knowledge is obtained. “A. Wolf says that” In a broad sense, any research method by which science is created and expanded is called scientific method. Scientific method is the era of modern era science. No matter how simple or complex the phenomena are, they are studied in a scientific manner. Generally people understand a specific type of subject matter by the word science. For example – biology, chemistry, engineering, physics etc. But it is wrong to understand so. Science has nothing to do with the subject matter. Any subject matter can be a science if it can be studied through the scientific method. That’s why Stuart Chase has written – “Science is concerned with the scientific method and not with the subject matter.”

Benberg and Shebat have said a similar thing – “Science is a definite way of looking at the world.” In fact, science refers to systematic knowledge that is obtained through the scientific method. That is, systematic knowledge is science. The scientific method is one and the same in all branches; the unity of all sciences is in its method, not in its content alone. The person who classifies any kind of facts, who sees their mutual relation and sees their sequence, uses the scientific method and is a man of science. These facts may be related to the history of human appearance, the social statistics of our great cities, the atmosphere of distant stars. It is not the facts themselves that constitute science but the method by which they are acted upon.

“According to ‘Encyclopædia Britannica’, “The scientific method is a collective term that explains the various processes with the help of which science is created.

Goode and Hurt have written – “Science can be popularly defined as the systematic accumulation of knowledge.” Physics studies physical organs, zoology studies living beings and botany studies trees and plants. does. This

Like other sciences also there are different subject matter and all these subject matter are different from each other. But all these are called science. Now the question arises that what is it that brings all these together as a unit of science? The only answer to this is the method of study i.e. the scientific method.

According to Karl Pearson – “The unity of all science is in its method and not in its subject matter.”

Lundberg has also said a similar thing, “The scientific method is the same in all branches. It is clear from the above discussions that the knowledge obtained from the study done by the scientific method is called science.

Vijan means scientific method, after knowing that it is necessary to know which method would be called a scientific husband. Generally, that method is called scientific method in which the researcher studies a subject, problem or event by being neutral or impartial. Observation, fact collection under this. Classification tabulation, analysis and generalization comes.

August Comte said that the whole world is governed by ‘fixed natural laws’ and the explanation of these laws is possible only through the scientific method. Since social events are a part of this nature, therefore, like natural events, the study of social events is possible only through scientific method. The scientific method is not dependent on emotional elemental thinking but on a systematic methodology of observation, testing, experiment and classification. Various scholars have defined the scientific method in their own words.

Lundberg has written in relation to the scientific method – “Broadly speaking, the scientific method is the systematic observation, classification and analysis of facts.

Explaining the nature of the scientific method, Karl Pearson has written, “The scientific method is characterized by the following characteristics – (a) Careful and accurate classification of facts and observation of their correlation and sequence (b) Discovery of scientific laws through creative imagination” (C) Equally useful for all persons of self-criticism and common sense.”

Barnard has given the definition of the scientific method, saying, “Science can be defined in the form of six major processes occurring in it – testing, verification, definition, classification, organization and refinement, which includes prediction and practice.” It is clear from the above definitions that the scientific method is a systematic system. Under this, facts are collected, verified, classified and analyzed. From this, general rules are discovered and predictions are also made in relation to it.

Characteristics Of The Scientific Method

Based on the definitions of the scientific method, some of its main features become clear. These characteristics can be understood in the following way

Logicality – The scientific method is not based on emotion, emotion or superstition. In this the emphasis is on logical thinking. The scientific method emphasizes the cause-effect relationship between events. In other words, it can be said that every incident has some or the other reason and no incident happens without any reason. Under the scientific method, an attempt is made to find the cause and effect. For example, under superstition, the specialty of the scientific method is to search for the real causes of a disease without considering any divine power behind it. In fact, there is a hand of special germs behind the disease. It means to say that here germs are the cause of disease.

Generality – Through the scientific method, an attempt is made to find such rules or facts which can always be valid in similar situations. This method does not lay emphasis on the study of any particular event or unit, but on the study of general events. That is, the scientific method cannot be a science of the specific, it lays emphasis on general discovery so that general principles and rules can be rendered on the basis of various facts. If any general rule is formulated regarding a particular incident or fact, then its area is very narrow. The units collected under the scientific method represent the whole class and not the individual. This does not mean that they will be unconditionally authentic in all circumstances and conditions. They are valid only under normal circumstances. In this sense a general scientific rule can be formed. The characteristic of the scientific method is also common in the sense that its use is the same in different sciences. In this context, Karl Pearson has also written, “The unity of all sciences lies in their method and not in the subject matter.” In general, the scientific method is the same in all branches of science.

, Cause and Effect Relationship – The scientific method is based on cause and effect relationships. Every event has a reason. No incident is completely free. There is some reason behind its happening. The scientific method tries to find out all the causes due to which events occur. That is, it explains the cause-effect relationships between different events. eg

If a person is sick in the form of war, then by scientific method, an attempt is made to find out the reason for his illness, or it is understood to be the wrath of some deity.

, Observation – Observation is the most important feature of the scientific method. The researcher directly observes for the collection of facts under the scientific method. Observation is called the classical method of scientific discovery. Highlighting the importance of observation in the scientific method, Goode and Hatt have said, “Science begins with observation and ultimately has to be imposed on observation to confirm it. Therefore, the sociologist should train himself to observe carefully.” In observation, facts are collected by observing and examining the phenomena from an objective point of view, which forms the basis of the method of logic.

, Verifiable – The conclusions obtained by the scientific method can be verified at any time. To what extent the truth obtained in the past is true now. This information is subject to verification. It means to say that once a conclusion is drawn by the scientific method, the same conclusion is obtained for the second time as well, then it is considered verified. That is, the conclusions obtained in the scientific method can be re-examined. In this context, Luther says that the method by which the facts cannot be re-examined can be philosophical or imaginary rather than the scientific method. Therefore, verification is very important for the scientific method. characteristics of the scientific method

, Objectivity – Objectivity has an important place in the scientific method. The meaning of objectivity is to see or know the object or event as it is (Characteristics of Scientific Method). There is observation. There is no place for favoritism and prejudice in the scientific method. That is, a person does not give importance to his verifiability, personal wishes, preferences and perceptions at the time of study. According to Green, ‘objectivity implies the existence of a fact 3. Willingness and ability to examine objectivity or evidence objectively. Objectivity is a difficult task in the social sciences. Therefore, along with self-control, the researcher should use such techniques so that the scope of bias and prejudice is minimized. The student has to study by remaining absolutely neutral. He should not resort to any kind of moral partiality or mental dishonesty.

– Certainty There is certainty in the scientific method. Under this, an attempt is made to find certain facts on certain grounds. In the scientific method, no importance is given to the elements that raise doubts. Certain terms are used in scientific study. It is difficult to draw definite conclusions from the use of uncertain terms. If the study is objective and can be verified by re-examination, then there must be certainty in the conclusions drawn from it.

Predictability – An important feature of the scientific method is the ability to predict or predict. On the basis of the study of work-cause relations and various factors, information about an object or event is obtained. On the basis of this information, predictions can be made regarding what will be the nature of that object or event in the future. Prediction done under scientific method is different from astrologer or other prediction. When the researcher finds the causes of an event and propounds general rules and principles in relation to it, then on the basis of that he predicts about the occurrence of such events in similar conditions. It means to say that by studying on the basis of scientific method, the student develops such an ability that he can make predictions about similar events.

Main Steps of the Scientific Method

Scientific method is a systematic and orderly method. Many processes are involved in this. Various scholars have expressed their views regarding the orderliness of these processes. These scholars have discussed the main steps of the scientific method. Following are the views given by some prominent scholars

According to Lundberg, the four main steps of the scientific method are (i) the working hypothesis, the observation and recording of data, the classification and organization of the collected facts (the classification and organization of data) (iv) Generalization.

P . B. Young has discussed six steps of the scientific method (i) Selection of study problem (ii) Formulation of working hypothesis (iii) Observation and data collection (iv) Graphing of facts (v) Classification of facts (vi) Scientific generalization .

Avalbernen has discussed five levels of scientific method (1) Selection of problem and formulation of hypothesis. (ii) Collection of actual facts (iii) Classification and tabulation. (iv) Drawing conclusions (v) Examination and verification of conclusions.

Some major levels can be mentioned on the basis of different stages of scientific method given by different scholars.

That is, different scholars have explained the steps of scientific method from their own point of view. Keeping in mind the views of all the scholars, the following are the main steps of the scientific method:

(i) Choice of problem

(ii) Formulation of hypothesis

(iii) Determination of study area

(iv) Selection of study instruments Restau demand

(v) Observation and fact compilation Shah

(vi) Classification and Analysis

(vii) Generalization and formulation of rules

Selection of Problem – The first step in the scientific method is the selection of the problem. The student first selects the subject on the basis of contemporary importance, practical utility and curiosity. This subject becomes the first basis of scientific research. The problem is selected on the basis of related literature and information. For this, as many articles, details or ideas related to the problem as can be found from books, reference books or magazines are collected. People related to this are also questioned. Goode and Hatt have written, “The whole related to any study includes many phenomena, but science confines itself to some of these phenomena only.” Studyer. Selects the problem on the basis of awareness and interest.

Formulation of Hypothesis – After selecting the problem, the researcher formulates the hypothesis related to the problem. Hypothesis is such a statement made before the study whose authenticity is checked on the basis of the facts to be collected. Lundberg has said, “Hypothesis is a working generalization, whose truth remains to be tested.” Hypothesis provides direction to scientific study. Construction of hypothesis saves time, energy and money. On the basis of this facts are collected and through these facts the authenticity of the hypothesis is checked. The researcher builds the hypothesis on the basis of his guesses, understanding, imagination and experiences. General culture, literature, kindness and philosophy also become sources of imagination.

Determination of Study-Area – Study-area refers to the area which is marked for collecting the facts related to the study. That is, the student himself decides which field he has to study. Study – Studyer when the field is fixed. One’s effort is within a limit, he is saved from unnecessary efforts. If the study area is large, then facts are collected from representative units. Sampling method is used to select the representative units.

, Selection of Tools & Techniques – Selection of tools and techniques is done keeping in mind the hypothesis and the study area. The selection of the above instruments and techniques is very important for studying through scientific method. The researcher chooses various methods and instruments for the compilation of reliable data. That is, it determines whether observation, questionnaire, schedule, personal study method, interview or other methods will be used to collect the data. Prepares an outline regarding these instruments and techniques. For example, preparation of interview guide, questionnaire and schedule etc.

, Observation and Data Collection – Scientific study also starts with observation. Generally observation means to see. But in the scientific method, the meaning of observation is to observe and test any object and event from an objective point of view. In observation, all the human senses are used as much as possible, after that the facts are collected. In addition to observation in fact collection, facts are also collected through other methods such as interview, questionnaire, schedule and personal study method. Data are collected to check the validity of the hypothesis. On the basis of these, cause-effect relationships are established and the correctness of the hypothesis is checked.

Classification and Interpretation – After collecting the facts under the scientific method, those facts are classified. That is, facts are divided into different classes or categories on the basis of their similarity, dissimilarity and other characteristics. The collected facts become simple, clear and meaningful through this process. When the facts are divided into different categories, then they are analyzed. The collected facts are analyzed in an unbiased and unbiased manner so that cause-effect relationships are known.

Generalization and formation of law – Generalization is done on the basis of analysis of the facts obtained. That is, general conclusions are drawn. On the basis of these conclusions, the hypotheses are verified or disproved. It is necessary to note here that in both these situations (verified or unproven) the conclusion is scientific. The scientific importance of the study does not diminish if the hypotheses are not verified. The conclusions drawn by classification, analysis and generalization of facts are not general.

The basis of rules and principles are formed. That is, on the basis of findings, rules and principles are formulated. There is an interrelationship between the different stages of the scientific method. Therefore, real knowledge is attained only after passing through various stages. In this context, Carl Pearson has said, “There is no shortcut to truth; there is no other way to gain knowledge of the world except through the scientific method.”

The scientific method is the systematic study of a subject matter within a limited range. This method requires great patience, courage, hard work, creative imagination and objectivity. One cannot use the scientific method without a scientific assumption before starting to work on the scientific method; A researcher should precisely define the problem which is the subject of his research. The clearer the definition, the simpler the research work. The main steps of the scientific method are given below:

Observation: The first step in the scientific method is to observe the subject matter of research closely and carefully. This observation often requires the aid of instruments. These tools have to be accurate.
Recording: The second step required in the scientific method is to record the observation carefully. An unbiased objectivity is very essential in doing this.
Classification: After that the collected material has to be classified and organized. This is a very serious step. In the words of Karl Pearson, “The classification of facts, their sequence and recognition of relative importance is the task of science.” Classification is done in such a way that a relationship and similarity can be seen among the scattered elements. Thus the subject matter is arranged on a logical basis.

Generalization: The fourth step in a scientific method is to find a general rule or generalize on the basis of similarities in the classified case. This general rule is called a scientific principle. In MacIver’s words, “Such a law is just another name for a sequence of carefully described and uniformly recurring conditions”.
Verification: A scientific system does not stop after making generalizations. Verification of these generalizations is also necessary. Scientific theories can be verified and such verification is their essential condition without which they cannot be called scientific.

imperative of science

What are the requirements of any study to be called scientific, it is now clear from the above explanation of the scientific method. The essential elements or characteristics of science are given below:

Scientific Method: As it has been said earlier that any subject is called science not because of its subject matter but because of the scientific method.
Factual: Science is the study of facts. It searches for the real truth. Its content is not ideal but factual.
Universal Scientific principles are universal. They are found rue in all countries and at all times.
Logical: A scientific law is true. Its veracity can be checked at any time. The more times it is tested, the more times it will be proven true.
Discovery of cause-effect relationship: Science discovers the cause and effect relationship in its subject matter and presents a universal and verifiable rule in the same relation.
Prediction: Science can make predictions on the subject of cause-effect relationship on the basis of universal and verifiable rules. The foundation of science rests on this belief in cause and effect. The scientist knows that ‘what will happen’ can be judged on the basis of ‘what will happen’ because the law of causation is universal and immutable.

social anthropology as a science

An examination of social anthropology based on the above six basic principles reveals that social anthropology has all the essential elements of science.

Social Anthropology uses the scientific method: All methods of social anthropology are scientific. they do scientific experiments

Social relations differ from psychological relations and in either case social anthropology studies anthropology in the context of society. According to contemporary American anthropologists, social anthropology is only a branch of cultural anthropology because culture is a broader concept than society and is far broader than what is involved in the study of social life.

Nature of Social Anthropology

Social Anthropology is a science and to know this fact it is necessary to understand what science is. Some people start considering a particular subject matter as chemistry or engineering etc. Common people differentiate between science and art in this sense. But it would be better to let the scientists explain what science is. Some definitions of science are given below:

Besanz, J. and Besanz, M. (2010). It is the attitude rather than the content that is the test of science.
Green is a method of science investigation.
White. Science is scientific.
Weinberg and Shabat. Science is a special way of looking at the world.
Carl Pearson. The unity of science lies in its method, not in its nature.

Apart from these scientists, Karl, Churchman, Acoff, Gillin and Gillin and many social anthropologists have also considered science as a method. It is because of method that it is different from art. It is because of method that all the sciences, even if they have different fields,

called science.

Steps Of The Scientific Method

Observation: The first step in the scientific method is to observe the subject matter of research closely and carefully. This observation often requires the aid of instruments. These tools have to be accurate.
Recording: The second step required in the scientific method is to record the observation carefully. An unbiased objectivity is very essential in doing this.
Classification: After that the collected material has to be classified and organized. This is a very serious step. In the words of Karl Pearson, “The classification of facts, their sequence and recognition of relative importance is the task of science.” Classification is done in such a way that a relationship and similarity can be seen among the scattered elements. Thus the subject matter is arranged on a logical basis.

Generalization: The fourth step in a scientific method is to find a general rule or generalize on the basis of similarities in the classified case. This general rule is called a scientific principle. In MacIver’s words, “Such a law is just another name for a sequence of carefully described and uniformly recurring conditions”.
Verification: A scientific system does not stop after making generalizations. Verification of these generalizations is also necessary. Scientific theories can be verified and such verification is their essential condition without which they cannot be called scientific.

imperative of science

Scientific Method: As it has been said earlier that any subject is called science not because of its subject matter but because of the scientific method.
Factual: Science is the study of facts. It searches for the real truth. Its content is not ideal but factual.
Universal Scientific principles are universal. They are found rue in all countries and at all times.
Logical: A scientific law is true. Its veracity can be checked at any time. The more times it is tested, the more times it will be proven true.
Discovery of cause-effect relationship: Science discovers the cause and effect relationship in its subject matter and presents a universal and verifiable rule in the same relation.
Prediction: Science can make predictions on the subject of cause-effect relationship on the basis of universal and verifiable rules. The foundation of science rests on this belief in cause and effect. The scientist knows that ‘what will happen’ can be judged on the basis of ‘what will happen’ because the law of causation is universal and immutable.

Social Anthropology As A Science

An examination of social anthropology based on the above six basic principles reveals that social anthropology has all the essential elements of science.

Social Anthropology uses the scientific method: All methods of social anthropology are scientific. they do scientific experiments

Techniques like schedule, participant observation, historical procedure and case history etc. First, they gather facts through observation. Then they are recorded in a systematic form. Later on the matter is classified and finally general principles are formulated on the basis of accepted facts. The validity of these theories is examined.

Social anthropology is factual: Social anthropology is the comparative study of facts about social phenomena, relations and reactions. Participant observation is its main method. In this method an anthropologist goes to live among the people he has to study. Thus his study is in line with the facts.

The principles of social anthropology are universal: the laws of social anthropology hold true in all countries as long as the conditions are similar; There is no scope for exceptions in them.
The principles of social anthropology are true: Thus the principles of social anthropology always prove to be true on verification and even on re-verification. Their validity can be verified by anyone and at any time.
Social Anthropology defines cause-effect relationships: Social anthropology explores cause-effect relationships in social facts, events and relationships, etc. For example, an anthropologist, after his comparative study of different cultures, brings us to a particular Describes the lifestyle found. Culture and to what extent lifestyle changes with culture change. Thus, social anthropology answers the ‘how’ with the ‘what’.
Social Anthropology can predict: On the basis of cause-effect relationship, social anthropologist can predict future and make predictions about social reactions and events etc.

Shyvani can do it. He can decide ‘what will happen’ later on the basis of ‘what if’. Knowing cause-effect relationships.

For example, by observing cultural changes, he can predict changes in lifestyle.

It is clear from the aforesaid discussion of the nature of social anthropology that social anthropology is a science. There is an abstract form of thoughts in it. Scientific study is possible only with abstract forms. The laws of these abstract forms determine the reaction of concrete things. Thus the laws of social anthropology are universal and true in practice. Social anthropology has revolutionized the perceptions of psychologists, sociologists, politicians and social reformers, given a hope for the organization of human society in the future and offered useful suggestions for deciding the pattern of its organization.

Objectives of Social Anthropology

The primary objective of social anthropology is to collect information about human nature. Human nature is a controversial subject. Different scholars have emphasized different aspects of human nature. Primitive man and society represent human nature in its most rudimentary and crude form. Hence their study is useful for understanding the basic imperatives of human nature without much influence of culture on them.

Another objective of social anthropology is the study of the processes and consequences of cultural interactions. Most primitive societies are gradually coming into contact with more developed cultures. This contact is gradually creating social, religious, economic and political problems and chaos. Administrators and social planners need the help of social anthropologists in understanding the processes and consequences of cultural interactions. According to the Royal Anthropological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the following are the most important objectives of social anthropology:

Study of primitive culture in its present form.
Study of cultural interaction and specific processes.

This includes exploring the influences of outside groups causing cultural change.

Reconstruction of social history.
Discover universally accepted social laws.

Thus the main objective of social anthropology is to study human society, social institutions, culture and the bonds of kinship in their earliest form. In addition to being useful for the understanding of present-day human societies, it aids in our knowledge of human history as well as the nature of social institutions. Therefore social anthropology has a close relationship with history and archaeology.

Usefulness of the study of primitive societies

The primary objective of social anthropology is to understand primitive people, the cultures they created, and the social systems in which they lived and functioned.” Social anthropology thus primarily focuses on the study of primitive societies.

Ralph Piddington points out the following characteristics of primitive societies:

The primary characteristic of primitive societies is illiteracy and absence of writing or literature.
The social organization of primitive societies is based on small groups like gotras, tribal totems etc.
The technical level of development is very low.
Social relations based on locality and blood relations

St. Important.

There is generally a lack of economic specialization and a high degree of division of labour.

Thus primitive societies are small communities. Robert Redfield has called it “folk society”. According to him, lack of systematic art, science and theology are also the characteristics of primitive societies.

2022 SOCIOLOGY-COMPLETE SOLUTIONS

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