Anthropology: The Epistemology Of Violence In Anthropology

Anthropology, to much of the population, is a seemingly complex term. Many even believe that the term simply doesn’t apply to their lives. However, this notion is invalid due to the fact that anthropology is essentially the backbone of our society. In a broad and simplistic form, the Oxford English Dictionary defines anthropology as “The science of man, or of mankind, in the widest sense”. For centuries anthropologists have worked towards making the science what it is today. Many advancements have been made through the work of evolutionists early on. In the early 1800’s evolutionists Morgan and Spencer came up with the idea that society moves from simple to complex on a unilinear-based system. This theory mirrored Darwin’s, stating they agree

More specifically, it is studying the political nature of language and looking into its ability to be a cultural tool. The rhetoric of language can change the tone and understanding of what a person is trying to convey, and if dissected enough, it becomes apparent that the words of a political figure are not chosen at random. They are carefully crafted and constructed in order to elicit a certain response, whether it is fear, safety, or most often, violence. This comes across in the form of ads, public announcements, and speeches, to further fuel the violent tendencies in the target audience. Archaeology is an important field when discussing the anthropology of political violence. In its connection to human artifacts, archaeologists can look into how certain clues paint the picture of the violence during the time. Some clues can be straightforward such as photographs, drawings or writings. NonethelessHowever, some evidence forces archaeologists to investigate further including burial sites of mass graves and weaponry found. All of those artifacts and ecofacts illustrate the violence that occurred. From the cultural anthropology perspective, we look at the extant populations through ethnographies to see how different populations and groups live. Since violence is excessively cultural in form, the use of ethnographies and ethnohistories is critical in obtaining the most reputable information. The anthropologists will enter into a specific sanction of a society and live like them in order to win their trust to gain emic information, which is often an arduous undertaking. However, once achieved, they can pinpoint the cause of political violence and better understand how it affects the people of that society. One example of this is a small society that