Cultural Anthropology

[Nicholas]

I thought that it would be good to open up this thread with the definition of Cultural Anthropology:

major division of anthropology that deals with the study of culture in all of its aspects and that uses the methods, concepts, and data of archaeology, ethnography and ethnology, folklore, and linguistics in its descriptions and analyses of the diverse peoples of the world.

Source: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article...l-anthropology

[NeilUnreal]

At one point in my life I considered going for a B.A. in anthropology (I was interested in technical archaeology at the time). For better or for worse, it was much easier to get money to work on a Master’s degree than to work on a second Bachelor’s degree, so I didn’t.

However, I remain interested in the study of folklore, mythology, and comparative religion.

-Neil

[Nicholas]

At one point in my life I considered going for a B.A. in anthropology (I was interested in technical archaeology at the time). For better or for worse, it was much easier to get money to work on a Master’s degree than to work on a second Bachelor’s degree, so I didn’t.

However, I remain interested in the study of folklore, mythology, and comparative religion.

-Neil

Actually, I'm currently minoring in Anthropology. My major is in Public History.

[FreezBee]

I thought that it would be good to open up this thread with the definition of Cultural Anthropology:



Source: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article...l-anthropology

Sounds like a mixture of just about everything

But, I have to admit that I wondered, what 'Cultural Anthropology' actually was, and now I know


- FreezBee

[Teluog]

I gotta take that cultural anthropology course at my college whenever I can. I also plan on studying the cultures of the ANE and greco-roman world in great detail sometime in the future.

[FreezBee]

I gotta take that cultural anthropology course at my college whenever I can. I also plan on studying the cultures of the ANE and greco-roman world in great detail sometime in the future.

Wow, sounds interesting

What are you studying now?

[Teluog]

Wow, sounds interesting

What are you studying now?

I'm in my first year at Bible College, taking introductory theology and Scripture courses. I'd like to go to university for ancient history and seminary for further biblical and theology studies in the future.

[FreezBee]

I'm in my first year at Bible College, taking introductory theology and Scripture courses. I'd like to go to university for ancient history and seminary for further biblical and theology studies in the future.

Ok, going to do some Biblical archaeology?

[Teluog]

Ok, going to do some Biblical archaeology?

I might. But I'm primarily concerned with knowing the Scriptures inside out and knowing as much of the social background as I can.

[FreezBee]

I might. But I'm primarily concerned with knowing the Scriptures inside out and knowing as much of the social background as I can.

Yes, it's a good thing to know the cultural background -- it adds depth the the reading.

[Teluog]

Yes, it's a good thing to know the cultural background -- it adds depth the the reading.

My main objective is to be able to take any scripture passage, and off the top of my head expound on it and explain it from multiple perspectives, and in light of the social background, and explain the passage clearly to people. So I don't just want to know some basic background culture. I want to have a solid well-rounded understanding of the culture background so that I can read it as if I was like any other ancient person.

Oh, and since I'm getting into apologetics, knowing the culture background is kind of important, as I've seen.

[shunyadragon]

I thought that it would be good to open up this thread with the definition of Cultural Anthropology:



Source: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9109543/cultural-anthropology

Interesting topic and historically one at the top of my list. My nine years in China was primarily a personal study of the Cultural Anthropology of Neolithic and rural China, including a study of jade culture, Neolithic symbols including the evolution of the dragon. the primal spiritual traditions still in practice today in rural China. China is somewhat unique in that the preservation of ancient cultural practices and beliefs in the rural people is better than many other cultures. Up until the mid 20th century it was very intact, and not significantly impacted by the revolution, but since about the 1970's the deterioration of these primal cultural aspects has deteriorated significantly due to western influence.

I am not sure how much interest you will attract from the general audience of Tweb. Many here on Tweb may feel intimidated by a discussion of the cultural anthropology of the history of the Abrahamic religions, because many of the beliefs they hold sacred are very much part of the evolution of Neolithic to Iron Age cultural attributes of the Middle East.

[FreezBee]

My main objective is to be able to take any scripture passage, and off the top of my head expound on it and explain it from multiple perspectives, and in light of the social background, and explain the passage clearly to people. So I don't just want to know some basic background culture. I want to have a solid well-rounded understanding of the culture background so that I can read it as if I was like any other ancient person.

But you are not "any other ancient person". Do you think you can read, say, Genesis 1, as a person in the ANE did?

- FreezBee

[Teluog]

But you are not "any other ancient person". Do you think you can read, say, Genesis 1, as a person in the ANE did?

- FreezBee

I'd like to be able to as much as possible.

[Nicholas]

But you are not "any other ancient person". Do you think you can read, say, Genesis 1, as a person in the ANE did?

- FreezBee

While it would be impossible for someone to understand exactly how someone from the ANE might have understood it (the same goes for much of the ancient world), we can understand some of the fundamentals of how they viewed the world. It is more difficult than understand other existing cultures in the sense that there is nobody left from the Bronze age to tell us, we can understand some aspects of it.