Sociocultural anthropology is a term used to refer to social anthropology and cultural anthropology together. It is one of the four main branches of anthropology. Sociocultural anthropologists focus on the study of society and culture, although often interested in cultural diversity and universalism. Sociocultural anthropologists recognise a change in the nature of the field: that a previous focus on traditional tribal perspectives has shifted to a contemporary understanding; that methodologies have altered, accordingly; that the discipline continues to evolve with that of society; and that globalisation has contributed to the changing influence of the state on individuals and their interactions.
Overview The term cultural anthropology is generally applied to ethnographic works that are holistic in approach. Its principal focus is the study of how culture affects individual experience with the aim of providing comprehensive understanding of the knowledge, customs, and institutions of a people. Cultural anthropology focuses on how individuals make sense of the world around them using the knowledge, beliefs, morals, arts, laws, and customs of groups. Social anthropology is a term applied to ethnographic works that attempt to isolate a particular system of social relations, such as those that comprise domestic life, economy, law, politics, or religion; give analytical priority to the organisational bases of social life; and attend to cultural phenomena as somewhat secondary to the main issues of social scientific inquiry. Sociocultural anthropology, which is understood to include linguistic anthropology, is concerned with the difference and similarity within and between human populations. The discipline arose through the expansion of European colonial empires, giving rise to theories and practices that have undergone challenges and reformulations with the advent of decolonisation. Such considerations have re-emerged as transnational processes and challenged the centrality of the nation-state in favor of theories about culture and power. New challenges have emerged as public debates about multiculturalism and the increasing use of cultural concepts within the field of anthropology.
History The synergy of sociology and anthropology was initially developed during the early 1920s by European scholars. Both disciplines shared a common search for a science of society. During the 20th century, however, the disciplines diverged as cultural studies began to emphasize the geographical and methodological underpinnings in an attempt for a more holistic understanding.
1920–1960
'Social' and 'cultural' anthropology were developed in the 1920s. They were associated with the social sciences and linguistics rather than the human biology and archaeology studied in anthropology. Specialists in the respective fields of social and cultural anthropology were elemental in the foundations of the later developed synergy. Alfred Radcliffe-Brown and Bronisław Malinowski marked the point of differentiation between social and cultural anthropology in 1930, evident in texts from this period. In the 1930s and '40s, an influx of monographs and comparative studies of 'tribal societies' emerged. Meyer Fortes and E. E. Evans-Pritchard described and classified African societies in African Political Systems (1940). Their comparative anthology aimed to provide a basis for sociological knowledge by classifying kin-based bands instead of relying on empirical observation. Claude Lévi-Strauss used structuralism as a way to analyse cultural systems in terms of their structural relations, including that of kinship. In 1949, he attempted to classify marriage systems from diverse locations. He applied structuralism to anthropology to reaffirm the coexistence between the individual and society and to categorise information about cultural systems by the formal relationships among their elements. Structuralism remains a central concept in the study of sociocultural anthropology.
1960–2000 Before World War II, social and cultural anthropology were separate entities in the field. The war called upon anthropologists from all countries to assist in the war effort. Anthropologists were extensively involved in resettlement in Europe and in consulting issues of racial status in occupied areas. Ethical issues surrounding the Allies' involvement were topical among anthropologists, and institutional development and practiced methodologies were altered by programs in 'developing countries'. As developing countries grew independently, they grew a dislike for the apparent imperialistic nature of anthropological studies, which led to decline in the field in some countries. After the war, anthropologists combined ideas and methodologies to form the collective 'sociocultural anthropology'. Topical interests included religion, kinship, acculturation, function, and community studies. During the 1970s, public spending was increased in most industrialised countries, which expanded social rights and also produced dramatic rises in wealth, living standards, and overall equity. This trend followed through until the 1990s. Although increased spending assisted in providing academic opportunity in anthropology during 1974–1990, after this period a steady decline in anthropology opportunity has been the continued trend. The drastic growth of students in Ph.D. and M.A. programmes, decrease of university and government funding, and downward shift in birth rates are contributors to anthropology's current state.
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