Cultural Anthropology

Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of the anthropological constant.

Cultural anthropology has a rich methodology, including participant observation (often called fieldwork because it requires the anthropologist spending an extended period of time at the research location), interviews, and surveys.

One of the earliest articulations of the anthropological meaning of the term "culture" came from Sir Edward Tylor who writes on the first page of his 1871 book: "Culture, or civilization, taken in its broad, ethnographic sense, is 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." The term "civilization" later gave way to definitions given by V. Gordon Childe, with culture forming an umbrella term and civilization becoming a particular kind of culture.

The anthropological concept of "culture" reflects in part a reaction against earlier Western discourses based on an opposition between "culture" and "nature", according to which some human beings lived in a "state of nature".[citation needed] Anthropologists have argued that culture is "human nature", and that all people have a capacity to classify experiences, encode classifications symbolically (i.e. in language), and teach such abstractions to others.

Since humans acquire culture through the learning processes of enculturation and socialization, people living in different places or different circumstances develop different cultures. Anthropologists have also pointed out that through culture people can adapt to their environment in non-genetic ways, so people living in different environments will often have different cultures. Much of anthropological theory has originated in an appreciation of and interest in the tension between the local (particular cultures) and the global (a universal human nature, or the web of connections between people in distinct places/circumstances).

The rise of cultural anthropology took place within the context of the late 19th century, when questions regarding which cultures were "primitive" and which were "civilized" occupied the minds of not only Marx and Freud, but many others. Colonialism and its processes increasingly brought European thinkers into direct or indirect contact with "primitive others." The relative status of various humans, some of whom had modern advanced technologies that included engines and telegraphs, while others lacked anything but face-to-face communication techniques and still lived a Paleolithic lifestyle, was of interest to the first generation of cultural anthropologists.

Parallel with the rise of cultural anthropology in the United States, social anthropology, in which sociality is the central concept and which focuses on the study of social statuses and roles, groups, institutions, and the relations among them—developed as an academic discipline in Britain and in France. The umbrella term socio-cultural anthropology draws upon both cultural and social anthropology traditions.

* Description and images provided by Wikipedia under CC-BY-SA 3.0 license .

Matching Cultural Anthropology Colleges

Ashford University

Four or more years; Private for profit; $13,280 average out-state tuition; $13,280 average in-state tuition

The New School

Four or more years; Private not for profit; $51,122 average out-state tuition; $51,122 average in-state tuition

Brigham Young University-Hawaii

Four or more years; Private not for profit; $6,068 average out-state tuition; $6,068 average in-state tuition

University of Southern Maine

Four or more years; Public; $22,041 average out-state tuition; $8,064 average in-state tuition

Arcadia University

Four or more years; Private not for profit; $45,520 average out-state tuition; $45,520 average in-state tuition

Creighton University

Four or more years; Private not for profit; $42,618 average out-state tuition; $42,618 average in-state tuition

Webster University

Four or more years; Private not for profit; $28,500 average out-state tuition; $28,500 average in-state tuition

Scholarships for Cultural Anthropology Majors

Bullet name award deadline Link
 

Building Better Futures Grant - UNCF

UNCF, Inc

$5,000 April 01, 2025 See Details

Description

The Building Better Futures Grant is available to college seniors who are attending UNCF member HBCUs. You must have a minimum GPA of 2.75, be a U.S. citizen/permanent resident, and identify as an underrepresented minority to be eligible for this award. Preference will be given to students majoring in Social Enterprise/Impact, Education,...

View Scholarship Details
 

Building Better Futures Grant - UNCF

UNCF, Inc

award

$5,000

deadline

April 01, 2025
See Details

Description

The Building Better Futures Grant is available to college seniors who are attending UNCF member HBCUs. You must have a minimum GPA of 2.75, be a U.S. citizen/permanent resident, and identify as an underrepresented minority to be eligible for this award. Preference will be given to students majoring in Social Enterprise/Impact, Education,...

View Scholarship Details
 

Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship

Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

Up to $5,000 April 30, 2025 See Details

Description

The Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship is available to female graduating high school senior students in the Los Angeles, CA, area. To be considered for this award, you must be a WLALA member who is interested in the field of law or public service and was inspired in this career choice by WLALA Foundation’s Power Lunch Program, the WLALA...

View Scholarship Details
 

Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship

Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

award

Up to $5,000

deadline

April 30, 2025
See Details

Description

The Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship is available to female graduating high school senior students in the Los Angeles, CA, area. To be considered for this award, you must be a WLALA member who is interested in the field of law or public service and was inspired in this career choice by WLALA Foundation’s Power Lunch Program, the WLALA...

View Scholarship Details
 

Frank L. Roberts Community Service Endowed Scholarship

Portland State University - School of Urban and Public Affairs

Up to $5,000 May 15, 2025 See Details

Description

The Frank L. Roberts Community Service Endowed Scholarship is available to graduate students at Portland State University-College of Urban and Public Affairs whose activities reflect the importance of civic responsibility either through career choice or desire to use higher education to achieve specific goals shared by a community.

View Scholarship Details
 

Frank L. Roberts Community Service Endowed Scholarship

Portland State University - School of Urban and Public Affairs

award

Up to $5,000

deadline

May 15, 2025
See Details

Description

The Frank L. Roberts Community Service Endowed Scholarship is available to graduate students at Portland State University-College of Urban and Public Affairs whose activities reflect the importance of civic responsibility either through career choice or desire to use higher education to achieve specific goals shared by a community.

View Scholarship Details
 

Carl Abbott Fellowship

Portland State University - School of Urban and Public Affairs

Up to $5,000 May 15, 2025 See Details

Description

The Carl Abbott Fellowship is available to doctoral students at Portland State University-College of Urban and Public Affairs.

View Scholarship Details
 

Carl Abbott Fellowship

Portland State University - School of Urban and Public Affairs

award

Up to $5,000

deadline

May 15, 2025
See Details

Description

The Carl Abbott Fellowship is available to doctoral students at Portland State University-College of Urban and Public Affairs.

View Scholarship Details
 

Howard and Imogene Burton Memorial Scholarship

University of Washington, Seattle

$4,000 April 04, 2025 See Details

Description

The Howard and Imogene Burton Memorial Scholarship is open to undergraduate students at University of Washington. You must be majoring in either the Social Sciences or the Natural Sciences in order to be eligible for this award.

View Scholarship Details
 

Howard and Imogene Burton Memorial Scholarship

University of Washington, Seattle

award

$4,000

deadline

April 04, 2025
See Details

Description

The Howard and Imogene Burton Memorial Scholarship is open to undergraduate students at University of Washington. You must be majoring in either the Social Sciences or the Natural Sciences in order to be eligible for this award.

View Scholarship Details
 

NOBLE Scholarship Award

National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives

Up to $2,500 April 01, 2025 See Details

Description

The NOBLE Scholarship Award is available to high school seniors who are pursuing a degree in social sciences and are committed to a career in law enforcement or criminal justice. You must be a U.S. citizen and have a minimum 3.8 GPA to be eligible for this award.

View Scholarship Details
 

NOBLE Scholarship Award

National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives

award

Up to $2,500

deadline

April 01, 2025
See Details

Description

The NOBLE Scholarship Award is available to high school seniors who are pursuing a degree in social sciences and are committed to a career in law enforcement or criminal justice. You must be a U.S. citizen and have a minimum 3.8 GPA to be eligible for this award.

View Scholarship Details
 

Nancy Chapman Endowed Scholarship

Portland State University - School of Urban and Public Affairs

Up to $2,000 May 15, 2025 See Details

Description

The Nancy Chapman Endowed Scholarship is available to doctoral students at Portland State University-College of Urban and Public Affairs who demonstrate financial need and show promise of accomplishment in an academic or professional career.

View Scholarship Details
 

Nancy Chapman Endowed Scholarship

Portland State University - School of Urban and Public Affairs

award

Up to $2,000

deadline

May 15, 2025
See Details

Description

The Nancy Chapman Endowed Scholarship is available to doctoral students at Portland State University-College of Urban and Public Affairs who demonstrate financial need and show promise of accomplishment in an academic or professional career.

View Scholarship Details
 

Kirsten C. Feldman Memorial Scholarship

West Los Angeles College

$1,000 Varies See Details

Description

The Kirsten C. Feldman Memorial Scholarship is available to students at West Los Angeles College who are majoring in social sciences. Preference will be given to students majoring in anthropology.

View Scholarship Details
 

Kirsten C. Feldman Memorial Scholarship

West Los Angeles College

award

$1,000

deadline

Varies
See Details

Description

The Kirsten C. Feldman Memorial Scholarship is available to students at West Los Angeles College who are majoring in social sciences. Preference will be given to students majoring in anthropology.

View Scholarship Details
 

Dr. Anwar A. Al-Mudamgha Scholarship

Onondaga Community College Foundation

$700 Varies See Details

Description

The Dr. Anwar A. Al-Mudamgha Scholarship is available to students at OCC who are studying social sciences. Preference will be given to refugee and female students.

View Scholarship Details
 

Dr. Anwar A. Al-Mudamgha Scholarship

Onondaga Community College Foundation

award

$700

deadline

Varies
See Details

Description

The Dr. Anwar A. Al-Mudamgha Scholarship is available to students at OCC who are studying social sciences. Preference will be given to refugee and female students.

View Scholarship Details
 

Louise B. Perkal Memorial Scholarship

Suffolk County Community College

$500 April 20, 2025 See Details

Description

The Louise B. Perkal Memorial Scholarship is available to students at Suffolk Community College-Ammerman Campus. To be considered for this award, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 and be majoring in history, geography, political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, or other social science.

View Scholarship Details
 

Louise B. Perkal Memorial Scholarship

Suffolk County Community College

award

$500

deadline

April 20, 2025
See Details

Description

The Louise B. Perkal Memorial Scholarship is available to students at Suffolk Community College-Ammerman Campus. To be considered for this award, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 and be majoring in history, geography, political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, or other social science.

View Scholarship Details