There’s something I read in one of the textbooks for my ANT101 class that made me fall in love with the major I had chosen and erased all my doubts about whether it’s a suitable fit for me. 

“Anthropology is not only the science of human beings but also the art of asking questions, making connections, and trying new things. These are the very practices that make us who we are as human beings. Anthropology is the art of being human.’’ (Wesch, 2018)

In a world that seems to value mostly STEM/business-based majors, it’s not a surprise that most of us don’t give a second thought to subjects related to humanities. 

Especially in Bangladesh, we have the tendency to view these subjects as irrelevant relics that serve no material purpose, don’t require as much ‘talent’ or skills as are needed for business/STEM majors, and most importantly, offer no well-paying career. 

However, when you zoom out a little and look at the big picture—that of a reality built on the foundation of global human and environmental crisis, social injustice and inequality, rigid socioeconomic class division, political corruption, and ethical conflicts—these assumptions become irrelevant. 

Because one needs to equip themselves with critical thinking, problem-solving skills, deep observational and situational awareness, empathy and communication skills, and above all a drive to nurture their own communities and more—to make a difference in our world. 

These very skills are the core values taught across the humanities disciplines, and more so in anthropology—a subject that has an incredibly comprehensive interdisciplinary scope and rigidly focuses on real-world impact while fostering an unprejudiced worldview on both individual and collective levels. 

Now, what exactly is Anthropology? Simply speaking, it’s the study of human beings and all that we are, all that we do, and why we do it across time, places, and generations. The core subject material of Anthropology is human culture, and by definition culture encompasses every single facet of human life—all the ecological, social, economic, political, and institutional structures that govern our existence. 

Therefore, the scope of Anthropology’s subject matter, research, and impact is colossal and requires a holistic, unbiased, and empathetic understanding of the world and the diverse people and practices around us. 

This unbiased worldview was visible from the very beginning as a student majoring in Anthropology. Because the first concept we learn to disown is ethnocentrism—the mentality that our own worldview, values, and norms are universal and superior—and the other concept we are taught to embrace is cultural relativism—the fact that all cultures and communities must be understood on their own terms and context; and none is superior or inferior to another. It’s probably still too early to tell if you’re only now learning about anthropology, but can you maybe begin to connect how, in the present sociopolitical context of Bangladesh, this fundamental ideology is a crucial lesson for all? 

To understand exactly how diverse and endless the scope of anthropology is, we need to first understand what sets it apart from other branches of social science and psychology (both of which also primarily study humans). 

Social science tends to focus on macro-level social institutions, patterns and structures of social life and practices, and takes a statistical approach for mapping these structural patterns in order to address and resolve contemporary social issues. Psychology, which takes an equally scientific but also social approach given its many subfields, usually focuses on dissecting and understanding human behaviour.

Anthropology on the other hand, is a combination of all these but has a broader scope. Sociology and psychology tend to focus mostly on contemporary society and its issues, but anthropology demands critical understanding of the development of all human societies throughout history till now. 

It utilises the quantitative methods of social and natural sciences, but the ethnographic method of anthropological field study is extremely qualitative and intensive. 

Ethnography, the core method of anthropology, is extensive fieldwork that requires genuine engagement with the day-to-day lives and practices of the related communities to understand them on their own terms and from the lens of their own cultural worldview. 

Whereas the subject matter of social science/psychology may be limited to critical study of structures, institutions, and human behaviours, anthropology studies nearly every aspect of our existence. 

Besides cultural anthropology and archaeology, there is biological, linguistic, economic, medical, ecological, and forensic anthropology. There is even anthropology of foodways, and it’s one of the most crucial contemporary branches of the discipline!  

That’s why there is something for everyone in this discipline when it comes to specialization based on personal interests. This also brings us to the burning question–How does one make a career out of it?

As an ant major, you will critically study quite literally everything. From cultural institutions, language, communication, economic systems, social justice to inequality, power imbalances and stratification, gender and identity, religion and rituals, activism, indigenous historicity, media; there is very little about our lives as human beings in general that this discipline doesn’t cover. 

So, the fascinating thing about anthropology is that even if you don’t want to become an anthropologist in the traditional sense, it still prepares you for virtually any profession. To illustrate this better, let’s consider some examples. 

Maybe you want to work in the marketing sector, a creative field that’s heavily dependent on understanding what ‘sells’ to people and why products/services are relevant to a specific demographic within a constantly changing social environment. 

As someone who literally studies human beings, their culture, and therefore has a holistic and ethical understanding of their needs, won’t you be well-equipped for this sector? 

Or maybe, you’re someone who wants to work in environmental conservation to battle the climate crisis. As a student of anthropology, you will be able to engage and work with indigenous communities who have an extraordinary connection to and knowledge about their lands and nature, and practice sustainable ecology. 

If you have a passion for journalism, public administration, policymaking, or any form of social welfare; your ethnographic ability to connect with diverse people anywhere and everywhere, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, empathy, and communication skills will be key in ensuring that you do impactful work in these fields. 

Whether it’s anthropology, sociology, or social science– the significance of humanities becomes visible when we take a clear look around the current sociopolitical tensions and overall cultural atmosphere of Bangladesh. 

Everyday we are increasingly more divided amongst ourselves while our institutions continue to systematically push this divide further. Policies, laws, and even the unwritten rules of social conduct are failing miserably as we continue to ‘solve’ problems with mob justice, communal violence, and extremism. 

The tolerance, unity, mutual respect, empathy we seem to be losing gradually as a society need to be revitalised so we can build a safe, just, and equal world for everyone together. And while that definitely requires key systematic changes, we need more empaths, critical thinkers and impact-driven people who can advocate and work for said reforms in the first place. 

Personally, studying anthropology has made me question the things we are conditioned to take for granted, and taught me to read between the lines and see beneath the surface of every pattern, behaviour, and structure governing our lives. 

Overall, it has made me a more understanding and empathetic person who is slowly learning to come out of the ‘individuality’ construct in an increasingly unkind world where we need to come together and lift each other up; now more than ever.

References:

Wesch, M. (2018). The art of being human: A textbook for cultural anthropology. New Prairie Press.