Welcome to the Henry Ford College Eshleman Library research guide for ANTHROPOLOGY! Literally meaning "the study of mankind," the field of Anthropology has existed as a formal discipline for over a century. As practiced in the United States, it is traditionally composed of four "fields:" Cultural Anthropology or Ethnology; Linguistics; Archaeology; and Biological or Physical Anthropology. Despite their differences, all are focused on the same goal: an understanding of what it means to be human.
A word on Search Strategy: The tabs across the top of this page lead to different types of resources. Much of the best information to get started can be found in Books, including reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks). Articles allow us to locate newer and/or more detailed information, especially on a narrower topic. Together, they provide a wide range of topics, and a wealth of detail on each topic.
For a broad topic like "Ethnology," you might begin with background readings (books) on what ethnology is, and where interesting research has been done You may also see a narrower topic to focus on: marriage customs, for example. This can provide good keywords for a search for articles in a database.
Winter 2024 Semester
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