Approaches to anthropology

As a complex discipline Anthropology has manifold approaches and divisions. Anthropology is often defined as being holistic and based on a four field approach. The four fields are Biological or physical anthropology, Socio-cultural anthropology, Linguistic anthropology and Archeology. A further type of Anthropology - Applied anthropology can be added making the four field ' five filed'.

Anthropology emerged from Europe. In the long run it spread to America and Asia. American Anthropology owes its origin to extraordinary contributions of various scholars like Franz Boas, Lewis Henry Morgan etc. Scholar viz Kroeber, Robert Redfield, Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead, lewis Oscar, Julian Steward etc. Early European Anthropologist like E.B. Taylor, James Frazer, henry James Maine and Herbert Spencer were evolutionist and they contributed for the development of anthropology. In the Asian context anthropology flourished is Colonial India, China, Japan. In Nepal the foreign missionaries played a vital role in the development of anthropology.