Biocultural anthropology
Biocultural Anthropology
Biocultural anthropology (pronunciation: bio-cul-tur-al an-thro-po-lo-gy) is a scientific discipline that studies the interaction between biology and culture in shaping human behavior and development.
Etymology
The term "biocultural anthropology" is derived from the Greek words "bios" meaning life, "kultura" meaning culture, and "anthropos" meaning human being. It was first used in the late 20th century to describe an integrated approach to the study of human behavior and development.
Definition
Biocultural anthropology is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand the complex relationships between human biology, culture, and the environment. It combines theories and methods from both biological and cultural anthropology to study human variation, adaptation, and evolution.
Related Terms
- Biological Anthropology: A subfield of anthropology that studies the biological development of humans.
- Cultural Anthropology: A subfield of anthropology that studies the cultural variation among humans.
- Human Behavior: The range of behaviors exhibited by humans and which are influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion, and/or genetics.
- Human Development: The process of growing to maturity and mental ability.
See Also
References
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