Practical Applications of Anthropology in Modern Society
The Practical Applications of Anthropology
Anthropology in Education
A persistent belief, found in both rural and urban settings, is that girls do not need to attend school. This contrasts with the view for boys, who are expected to bear the responsibility of providing financial resources to support their future households. This assumption has several implications:
- It presupposes that girls must get married, as it is assumed they cannot support themselves financially otherwise.
- This trend is particularly observable in private schools, where a higher enrollment of male students is often seen.
In essence, educational anthropology studies the intricate relationship between students, their families, and the surrounding socio-cultural context.
Medical Anthropology
Medical anthropology is the study of social perceptions of disease and the influence of culture on diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare. The work of rural doctors can be particularly challenging as they navigate complex doctor-patient dynamics. For example, in small communities, it is common for visiting interns or doctors to face situations where female patients refuse to be seen by a male physician unless a husband or male relative is present. Similarly, patients often prefer a doctor of the same gender, a practice that extends even to large cities where a doctor’s gender is often considered medically irrelevant.
A key example is the distrust of vaccination campaigns in some rural areas, often fueled by the belief that vaccines cause infertility. This is a significant concern in communities where children are valued as a source of labor to support the family, whether in farm work or managing a family business. In this context, vaccination is perceived as a risk to the traditional role of women and the family’s economic stability.
Ethnography in Business and Industry
Ethnographic techniques are used to study business scenarios, diagnose faults in production processes, and improve workplace dynamics. For instance:
In the 1990s, a glue manufacturing company updated its factory with imported equipment. Management assumed that simply training employees on the new machinery would be sufficient. However, after a considerable period of repeated failures and delays, the company hired an anthropologist to identify the root of the problem. The investigation revealed several overlooked cultural and social factors:
- The company had recently dismissed a significant number of older, experienced employees, leaving younger workers without knowledgeable colleagues to consult when issues arose.
- The machinery change occurred in January, a time when staff shortages were common due to a local pattern of female employees resigning in December to get married.
These variables, not considered by the personnel department, were critical. Ethnography provides essential data that allows for the design of proposals to improve not only production processes but also worker relations and even how consumers ultimately use the products.
Anthropology in Economic Development and International Aid
Analyzing Development and Inequality
The contribution of anthropology to the study of economic development is its focus on the social conflicts and cultural dimensions of progress. Key topics include:
- Cultures in resistance
- The inequitable distribution of wealth and the search for equity
- Improving conditions and care for vulnerable groups (defined by age, indigenous status, or minority status based on sexual or religious preferences)
International Projects and Interventions
Anthropologists frequently participate in projects sponsored by international agencies like the FAO and UNESCO. Their work involves mitigating the negative impacts on groups affected by large-scale infrastructure projects (such as hydroelectric dams or oil rigs) and preventing risks for populations in conflict zones. For example, anthropologists have studied the relocation of entire villages flooded for dam construction, where people who were once farmers had to adapt to new, lake-based livelihoods like fishing and fish farming.
In public health, anthropologists have contributed to studies sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) aimed at stopping the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among migrant populations traveling to the United States.
Myths and Cultural Origins
Myths are narratives that, by featuring places and characters of unproven existence, serve to explain the origins of human cultures. A classic example is the story of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, which explains the formation of two prominent volcanoes in Mexico.