Its unique contribution to studying the bonds of human social relations has been the distinctive concept of culture . Emerging as an independent science in the mid-19th cent. Its development is also linked with the philosophical speculations of the Enlightenment about the origins of human society and the sources of myth. A unifying science, anthropology has not lost its connections with any of these branches, but has incorporated all or part of them and often employs their techniques.
Anthropology is divided primarily into physical anthropology and cultural anthropology.
It uses the methods of anthropometry , as well as those of genetics, physiology, and ecology. Applied anthropology is the practical application of anthropological techniques to areas such as industrial relations and minority-group problems. In Europe the term anthropology usually refers to physical anthropology alone. Listing from Electric Library , a pay service. Copyright 2001 Infonautics Corporation .