Holism in anthropology

Holism refers to ‘the whole’ the entirety. Each particular culture is and must be approached as a whole, not just as a single trait or as disconnected bundle of traits.

The idea of holism is not new in anthropology but has been integral to the discipline since E. B Taylor’s 1871 definition of culture as ‘that complex whole which includes knowledge belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

Holism in anthropology is the attempt to get the whole picture, to put it all together, and to apply knowledge from many different fields to the understanding of any aspect of behavior. Anthropology is holistic to the extent that it studies all varieties of people whenever they may be found, from East Africans pastoralists to Korean factory workers.

It is this holistic approach, more than anything else, that distinguishes anthropology from other social sciences. And it is this approach that makes an anthropological study so difficult to carry out and at the same time so rewarding.

Anthropology as a discipline was similarly comprehensive from the start, embracing biological, linguistic, material, social and cultural aspects of human life and the inter-relations between them.
Holism in anthropology

The trademark of Anthropology: Holism

It is worth to point out that anthropology , as distinct from all other social sciences is an integrated approach.

It is includes the study of the physical nature of the human species, our past, unique capabilities as well as our limitations, and the tremendous variety and startling similarities among different cultures.

The anthropological approach is sometimes described as holistic because it integrates so many different area of concern.

It is not just the study of economic behavior or the structural relations between social groups.

It tries to understand all human behavior in all contexts, in all places and at all times.

And it does this by drawing from many different disciplines as well as from the four subfields of anthropology.

The anthropologist brings to his or her study a wide background.

Biology and physiology required for graduate students in physical anthropology; geology, geography, ancient history and sometimes even architecture are needed by the archeologists; and cultural anthropologist have come from all walks of life.

To study peasant society cross culturally we have to now something about agriculture ; to study personality cross culturally he must have a background in psychology; and so on for every possible area of study within cultural anthropology.
The trademark of Anthropology: Holism