Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology is the study of human society and culture. The study of anthropology is very important as it describes, analyzes, interprets and explains social and cultural similarities and differences, as a whole, for everyone in our world, holistically, both past and present. Anthropology allows us to study and understand other cultures and societies, what they do, and more importantly, why they do it along with the evolution of how these processes came to be and the adaptations that had to be made along the way. Ethnography studies different areas of cultures using different types of field work to gather information and Ethnology studies different areas of cultures by examining, interpreting, analyzing and comparing the information gathered by the ethnographers. By gaining this knowledge of other cultures we can create an understanding of others. Understanding others can build into trust and functional, productive relationships and in the big picture can ultimately create functional and productive interdependent relationships between societies. On a more personal level, by studying and understanding other cultures holistically we can improve our knowledge and understanding of how to live our lives in a way that will increase our chances of being more successful and secure than those before us and mitigate circumstances that might lead to annihilation, extinction and/or unhappiness, by adapting and evolving.

In our society it is so easy to become close minded because we are raised to be narrow-minded about people that are different then we are. This trend, Ethnocentrism, of believing that your culture is superior to others started long ago and continues today through enculturation. Instead of teaching our children this way and continuing this terrible trend we should be teaching understanding and respect of other cultures through cultural relativism. When I was growing up I was raised with strong moral values from both my family along with our church affiliation and while raising children with strong moral values is important, it creates prejudice, stereotype and discrimination in young minds that are so sensitive and susceptible to information that will affect their entire lives. By being raised this way I, unfortunately, grew up with prejudices and discriminations that I didn't even realize. Through my Christian upbringing and extensive Bible study I acquired my morals, ethics and values. Those biblical principles had influenced every choice I made and had a highly significant impact on my personality, my relationships, and my professional life for a large part of my life. While I still utilized the morals, ethics and values I was taught as a child as I got older and had the chance to be on my own I started to realize the imprint that was left and chose to open my mind and make my own opinions and decisions rather than depend on the pre-dispositions imprinted in my childhood. While time and experience