How Is Anthropology Change Over Time

Anthropology is broadly defined as the study of humans. In it we learn all about how we have changed culturally, linguistically, historically, and physically over time. Like in any of the sciences however, the ideas, thoughts, and practices used in anthropology have change drastically over time. These changes were caused when anthropologist at the time realized that the way that they were doing things were wrong. They also realized that these errors that they were making were creating some issues over time. So in order to prevent future anthropologist from thinking like Morgan did during his time in the present time, they changed their ways. Some of the biggest changes happened post-World War II. The five theorists that helped aid in this change

Pierre Bourdieu was a French sociologist. The place in France where he came from was a place where their language and way of speaking was a source of pride. Bourdieu was actually brought up in Bourgois and Schonfelds work. His idea of symbolic capital was incorporated into their work. Symbolic capital is basically a type of wealth that provides a person with a sort of social power. Everyone has some sort of symbolic capital even if they themselves do not realize it. With symbolic capital the one with higher symbolic capital has a dominance over those with lower symbolic capitals. This can be found in linguistic and cultural anthropology as well as in

Biopower is actually rather interesting. It is literally about having control over bodies. And no, it is not about necromancy he was not talking about bring any dead bodies to life. It is actually about controlling the bodies of people. Biopower was used to make people “[operate] in the sphere of economic processes, their development,” (Foucault, pg.263). Sciencia Sexualis is all about the history of sex. He talks about how sexuality is not repressed like Freud says that it is. Honestly it is all out there. He talks about how doctors want to know about sex and what would be considered sexually deviant. There is also research in how sexual power is produced. All these theories helped to contribute to the more modern day concepts and ideas about anthropology. Bourgois and Schonfeld brought the great idea of talking about contemporary problems and shedding light on what they are and the faces of who it is. Bourdieu talked about symbolic capitalism and how it is use and the effects that it has. Clifford’s ideas about how to change ethnography really have helped to make modern day ethnographies better. Marscia-Lees showed us that these ideas were thought of before but the changes were not brought to light. Foucault talked about how soldiers, sex, and biopower. Without these theorist modern day anthropology would be much different than it is