Applied Anthropology and New Subfields

     While the anthropology professors who teach your classes are probably involved in research and writing articles and books, applied anthropologists use anthropology in the business world, in state and federal agencies, or work for non-profit organizations. For example, some of the places that McGee’s former students are employed are Google, AT&T, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Salvation Army, and the U.S. State Department. Several others work for corporations in international marketing and sales. These former students work in such a wide variety of areas because the basic research methods of an anthropologist in the field are valuable skills in the private sector too.

     The focus of applied anthropology is to use anthropological knowledge to solve real world problems. Several new subfields of anthropology have developed in the late 20th century, that at least, in part, have an applied focus. One popular area of applied anthropology is medical anthropology. This is a subfield that bridges both biological and cultural anthropology, so one medical anthropologist might study genetic adaptations such as the sickle cell trait in Africa and the Mediterranean (which evolved as a protective mechanism against malaria), while another medical anthropologist might examine why so many people in the United States refuse to have their children vaccinated. Many medical anthropologists also work for hospitals or international health care organizations studying the best ways to deliver medical care.

     Early work in medical anthropology was closely linked to studies of religion (see Chapter 11). In many small-scale cultures, indigenous systems of healing are intrinsically connected to beliefs about the supernatural. Shamanism, for example, often involves contacting the supernatural in order to effect healing. Culture bound syndromes have also been a focus of medical anthropology. Culture bound syndromes are illnesses which are culturally-specific. In Western societies, the emergence of anorexia nervosa is an example of a culture bound syndrome. After the 1960s, thinness became an ideal body type for women. The disorder of anorexia nervosa involves self-starvation and excessive exercise in attempts to lose weight. It is most often seen in adolescent girls and young women, and can be a life-threatening condition. Another example is susto or “fright illness” seen in many Latin American groups. The belief is that soul loss may occur after experiencing a traumatic event. Symptoms include lethargy, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and loss of appetite.

     In more recent times, medical anthropologists have been concerned with decision making in choosing among health care options and the efficacy of indigenous medical treatments. A variety of indigenous health practitioners may exist in a given culture, including spiritual healers, bone-setters, midwives, and herbalists. In the contemporary world, Western medical practices may also be available alongside indigenous healers. Medical anthropologists have been concerned with how belief systems influence the type of health practitioner that is chosen for a specific ailment. In addition, medical anthropologists seek to understand and eliminate barriers to the implementation of Western health care. The film clip Art + Science = Medical Anthropology provides a short introduction to Medical Anthropology.

Art + Science = Medical Anthropology

     Some medical anthropologists are also concerned with the efficacy of indigenous healing practices. The discipline of ethnobotany intersects here with medical anthropology. Broadly speaking, ethnobotany is concerned with understanding the relationship between people and plants. One major area of research is the study of traditional herbal plant remedies that are used to treat illness. Several important drugs in Western medicine have been derived from traditional ethnobotanical knowledge. For example, the cardiac medication digitalis comes from the foxglove plant. The anti-malarial drug quinine was first extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree, and the pain-reliever morphine comes from the poppy plant. A number of ethnobotanists focus on documenting indigenous medicinal plants, with the aim of finding treatments that can be used more broadly for diseases.

     In addition to medicinal plants, ethnobotanists are interested in all the ways in which humans use local plants. Plants have multiple uses, including: clothing and textiles; construction materials and tools; cosmetics and dyes; ritual uses; and foods. Ethnobotanists are also concerned with the loss of traditional ethnobotanical knowledge coming from two fronts. One is deforestation and development, resulting in the loss of traditional forests and other environmental resources of plants for cultural use. Another concern is cultural loss of traditional ecological knowledge (or TEK). Cultural change has left fewer indigenous peoples who retain comprehensive information about traditional plant uses. For ethnobotanists, conservation of plant biodiversity is inseparable from conservation of cultural diversity and TEK.

     Educational anthropology is another emerging field. Two important aims of educational anthropology are: 1) to understand the various ways that cultures teach their young what they need to know to function as adult members of society; 2) to understand differences in learning styles cross-culturally. Educational anthropologists most often focus on diversity within Western societies. Variables such as ethnic background, social class, economic status, geographic region, and gender may all involve differences in the way that individuals learn best. One dilemma of educational anthropology concerns literacy. In the developing world and in Western societies, illiteracy and low levels of literacy are associated with increased risk for illness, poverty, and poor employment opportunities. However, many indigenous peoples are non-literate; that is to say, they belong to cultures that do not have a written language. Consequently, if indigenous peoples do not learn the language of the dominant society around them, they have little hope of being able to effectively advocate for their own rights (such as land rights) within the larger political context. However, by adopting a new language they may risk losing valuable aspects of their indigenous culture.