These material remains might be thousands of years old, or they might be what someone put in the garbage dump yesterday. Social anthropologists look at contemporary human societies, from small groups of people living in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest to people living in the biggest cities of the world. Anthropology is related to the discipline of sociology , but has a distinct history and focus. Social anthropology, the branch that is closest to sociology, differs from it by making cross-cultural comparisons central to any study. While most anthropologists would agree in general with this definition of their discipline, each offers a unique perspective on anthropology.
Anthropology is an extremely liberating field of study.
I am not bound by disciplinary limits to study only one aspect of a society, nor only one society nor even to use only a specific methodology. I can study what people do or have done, what they and others think about it and how they imagine a better future. At the same time, I know that anthropology has been less than liberating for many of the people being studied. When I read anthropological studies, watch ethnographic films or do research in another cultural setting, I am able to see life from another point of view. The diverse perspectives revealed by anthropology fascinate me and help me imagine other ways to live in this world.