Nature of Sociology and Anthropology

Nature of Sociology and Anthropology

We can say that the study of human beings can be the study of a
lifetime. Great thinkers have spent years getting some answers to
questions about human behavior. Today, there are many fields and
sub-fields of study that engage in trying to understand humankind.

In this lesson, we will discuss the nature and beginnings of

sociology and anthropology.

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. discuss the nature and history of sociology and

anthropology; and
2. differentiate between sociology and anthropology.
3. identify the scope of sociology

Definitions of Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology “is a scientific study of human society, its origin,
structure, function and direction.”

Anthropology “is a social science that is concerned with human

culture as well as the physical and social characteristics
that create that culture. Often it will compare one group of
humans to another or even compare humans with
animals.”

Society and Culture 1

Nature of Sociology and Anthropology

History of Sociology and Anthropology

In Anthropology, the behavior of others had been observed and
recorded by men since the birth of civilization. Examples of
these great men who did the observations and recordings
are Herodotus and Tacitus. However, it was only in the 18th
century that a codified study of cultures began. The study
of culture of other people has been done by Westerners
that brought forth to the racist theories about the overall
advancement of different groups.

Sociology has been practiced by the Greeks also, when they

studied their surrounding society. It was in the 19th century
when sociology was recognized as an academic discipline
and became a part of the university curriculum.

The word Sociology was taken from two foreign words:

 Socius, a Latin term which means companion or associate

 Logos, a Greek term for study

Nature of Sociology
The nature of sociology is identified by the following characteristics
as enlisted by Robert Bierstadt in his book “Social Order.”

1. Sociology is a social science not a physical science. It

concentrates on man, his social behavior, social activities
and social life.
2. Sociology is categorical not a normative discipline. As a
categorical discipline, it is a body of knowledge about
human society, and not a system of ideas and values.

3. It is a pure science. It aims to provide knowledge about

human society, not the utilization of that knowledge

4. Sociology is the generalizing and not a particularizing or

individualizing science. Sociology tries to find out general

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Nature of Sociology and Anthropology

laws or principles about human interaction and association,

about the nature, form, content and structure of human
groups and societies.

5. Sociology is a general science not a special science. It is

concerned with human interaction and human life in
general. It only studies human activities in a general way.

6. Sociology is both a rational and an empirical science. There

are two broad ways of approach to scientific knowledge.
Empiricism is the approach that emphasizes experience and
the facts that result from observation and experimentation.
Rationalism is a stressed reason and the theories that result
from logical inference.

Nature of Anthropology
1. Anthropology is the study of humankind in all times and
places.

2. It involves the careful and systematic study of humankind

using facts, hypothesis, and theories.

3. It is concerned with other culture’s languages, values, and

achievements in the arts and literature.

4. Anthropology is committed to experiencing other cultures.

Focus of Anthropology and Sociology

 Anthropology “is interested in the overall culture of a group of
people. This includes social institutions, art, history,
mythology, and common mores, among other traits.
Anthropologies now study societies all over the world, but
look for overarching themes that are reinforced through
case studies. It also includes archeology, and due to a
great amount of substantive speculation is thought to be a
softer science than sociology.”

Society and Culture 3

Nature of Sociology and Anthropology

 Sociology “is a quantitative social science. Most theories are

based on polls, statistical analysis, sampling, and large
collections of life histories. Sociologists strive to be as
impartial and scientific as possible as they gather data. The
data analyzed by sociologists is often used by government
officials and market researchers alike.”

Summary:

1. Anthropology and sociology are both fields of social science

that study the behavior of humans within their societies.

2. Traditionally anthropology dealt with the study of cultures of

other people, while sociology was used to understand own
society.

3. Today, anthropology tends to look at the big picture of

human culture while sociology spends more time analyzing
data from a specific study.

4. Anthropology is considered to be a softer science than

sociology as its conclusions are based on case studies than
hard data.

References
Acton, Ashton Q. (2014. Issues in international sociology and social
work research and application. USA: Scholarly EditionsPrint

Difference Between Anthropology and Sociology.

www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/...anthropology-and-
sociology. Web. 06 June 2015.

Ferrante, J. (2014). Sociology a Global Perspective. 9th edition.

USA: Cengage Learning. Print

Mauss, M. (2005). The Nature of Sociology Berghahn Series.USA:

Durkheim Press. Print

Sociology/Anthropology. www.stolaf.edu/catalog/9697/socanthro.html.
Web. 06 June 2015.