Anthropology vs. Sociology

By Jaxson

Main Difference

The main difference between Anthropology and Sociology is that the Anthropology is a science of humanity and Sociology is a scientific study of human society and its origins, development, organizations, and institutions

  • Anthropology

    Anthropology is the scientific study of humans and human behavior and societies in the past and present. Social anthropology and cultural anthropology study the norms and values of societies. Linguistic anthropology studies how language affects social life. Biological or physical anthropology studies the biological development of humans.

    Archaeology, which studies past human cultures through investigation of physical evidence, is thought of as a branch of anthropology in the United States and Canada, while in Europe, it is viewed as a discipline in its own right or grouped under other related disciplines, such as history.

  • Sociology

    Sociology is the study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture that surrounds everyday life. It is a social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order and social change. Sociology can also be defined as the general science of society. While some sociologists conduct research that may be applied directly to social policy and welfare, others focus primarily on refining the theoretical understanding of social processes. Subject matter can range from micro-level analyses of society (i.e., of individual interaction and agency) to macro-level analyses (i.e., of systems and the social structure).Traditional focuses of sociology include social stratification, social class, social mobility, religion, secularization, law, sexuality, gender, and deviance. As all spheres of human activity are affected by the interplay between social structure and individual agency, sociology has gradually expanded its focus to other subjects and institutions, such as health and the institution of medicine; economy; military; punishment and systems of control; the Internet; education; social capital; and the role of social activity in the development of scientific knowledge.

    The range of social scientific methods has also expanded, as social researchers draw upon a variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques. The linguistic and cultural turns of the mid-20th century, especially, have led to increasingly interpretative, hermeneutic, and philosophic approaches towards the analysis of society. Conversely, the turn of the 21st century has seen the rise of new analytically, mathematically, and computationally rigorous techniques, such as agent-based modelling and social network analysis.Social research has influence throughout various industries and sectors of life, such as among politicians, policy makers, and legislators; educators; planners; administrators; developers; business magnates and managers; social workers; non-governmental organizations; and non-profit organizations, as well as individuals interested in resolving social issues in general. As such, there is often a great deal of crossover between social research, market research, and other statistical fields.

Wikipedia
  • Anthropology (noun)

    The holistic scientific and social study of humanity, mainly using ethnography as its method.

    “According to anthropology, there are six basic patterns of kinship terminology (i.e., “kin naming systems”): Sudanese, Hawaiian, Eskimo, Crow, Omaha, and Iroquois.”

  • Sociology (noun)

    The study of society, human social interaction and the rules and processes that bind and separate people not only as individuals, but as members of associations, groups and institutions

Wiktionary
  • Anthropology (noun)

    the study of human societies and cultures and their development.

  • Anthropology (noun)

    the study of human biological and physiological characteristics and their evolution.

Oxford Dictionary

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