Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Anthropology - Essay Example Besides, knowing about the culture, customs, beliefs, myths and social relations of the past better equip one to be an anthropologist who values the human race. Viewing the world through an anthropological lens helps one to think beyond narrow nationalism, extreme fanaticism, and terrorism. Culture is often conceived to be ‘a body of accumulated wisdom’ of the past and it is said that one learns, â€Å"unreflectively for the most part, to replicate forms of behavior that already exist, that come from the past† (Ohnuki-Tierney 1990, p. 154). The culture of a society consists of certain commonly shared values, traditions, social and political relations and factors like common history, common language, common locality and religion play dominant roles in molding various cultures. There is no doubt that the culture of a society is shared by its inhabitants and they contribute to it either by enhancing it or modifying it. It is important to understand culture from an anthropological perspective because there is a direct link between human character formation and cultural values because man learns a lot from various cultures that he comes cross. Understanding various cultures enables human beings to assimilate the good aspects of each culture whether it is alien or native. Field work offers one with the unique opportunity to come to original personal conclusions regarding an issue and to supplement the theory with practical observation, documentation and research. The field worker has to locate the issue and the area of study, and the success of an effective field work depends on the level of involvement of the field worker and the reliability of the data he collects through his interaction and observation. Field work is an essential component of anthropology as it offers the best opportunity for one to get into the lives of men, their culture, customs, values and life styles. No doubt, such field works can enhance one’s understanding of