Sociology and anthropology

Sociology and anthropology
One important difference between these two fields is that sociology is concerned with the study of our own society, while anthropology is a comparative discipline that focuses in all societies at all times.

Sociology is interested mainly in the present anthropology deals just as much with the past.

However, these contrasts are growing less valid every day as anthropologists adopt sociological methods and sociologists adopt the comparative approach of anthropology.

Another way of looking at the difference between sociology and anthropology is to note that sociology tends to be quantitative, while anthropology tends to be qualitative.

What this means is that the sociologists generalizes from broad surveys of large numbers of people and the anthropologists relies on close knowledge of a few members of a group to form impressions.

Although these impressions might not be valid for the society as a while (quantitative), there are valid in greater depth for the small sample studied (qualitative).

The anthropologists may spend weeks finding the answer to particular question, mainly out of intense personal involvement in the study.

The sociologists, on the other hand, cannot, afford to become badly deeply involved in surveying a larger simple of the society.

The major difference between anthropology and sociology –probably lies in the methods used. Anthropology uses intensive methods of study; sociology tend to employ broader, more extensively methods.
Sociology and anthropology