Editing Anthropology (section)

===20th and 21st centuries===
Anthropology as a specialized field of academic study developed much through the end of the 19th century. Then it rapidly expanded beginning in the early 20th century to the point where many of the world's higher educational institutions typically included anthropology departments. Thousands of anthropology departments have come into existence, and anthropology has also diversified from a few major subdivisions to dozens more. Practical anthropology, the use of anthropological knowledge and technique to solve specific problems, has arrived; for example, the presence of buried victims might stimulate the use of a forensic archaeologist to recreate the final scene. The organization has also reached a global level. For example, the World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA), "a network of national, regional and international associations that aims to promote worldwide communication and cooperation in anthropology", currently contains members from about three dozen nations.<ref>{{cite web | title=Home | publisher=World Council of Anthropological Associations | access-date=29 March 2015 | url=http://www.wcaanet.org/index.shtml | archive-date=2 April 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402172343/http://www.wcaanet.org/index.shtml | url-status=live }}</ref>

Since the work of [[Franz Boas]] and [[Bronisław Malinowski]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ''social'' anthropology in Great Britain and [[cultural anthropology|''cultural'' anthropology]] in the US have been distinguished from other social sciences by their emphasis on [[cross-cultural studies|cross-cultural comparisons]], long-term in-depth examination of context, and the importance they place on [[Participant observation|participant-observation]] or experiential immersion in the area of research. Cultural anthropology, in particular, has emphasized [[cultural relativism]], [[holism]], and the use of findings to frame cultural critiques.<ref name="Hylland Eriksen 2004 p. 79">Hylland Eriksen, Thomas. (2004) "What is Anthropology" Pluto. London. p. 79. {{ISBN|0-7453-2320-0}}.</ref> This has been particularly prominent in the United States, from [[Boasian anthropology|Boas' arguments]] against 19th-century racial [[ideology]], through [[Margaret Mead]]'s advocacy for [[gender equality]] and sexual liberation, to current criticisms of [[post-colonialism|post-colonial]] oppression and promotion of [[multiculturalism]]. [[Ethnography]] is one of its primary [[research design]]s as well as the text that is generated from anthropological fieldwork.<ref name="Ingold1994p331"/><ref name="Spiro1987">On varieties of cultural relativism in anthropology, see Spiro, Melford E. (1987) "Some Reflections on Cultural Determinism and Relativism with Special Reference to Emotion and Reason," in ''Culture and Human Nature: Theoretical Papers of Melford E. Spiro''. Edited by B. Kilborne and L.L. Langness, pp.&nbsp;32–58. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.</ref><ref name="Heyck1997">{{cite journal|last1=Heyck|first1=Thomas William|last2=Stocking|first2=George W.|last3=Goody|first3=Jack|title=After Tylor: British Social Anthropology 1888–1951.|journal=The American Historical Review|volume=102|issue=5|year=1997|pages=1486–1488|issn=0002-8762|doi=10.2307/2171126|jstor=2171126}}</ref>

In Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries, the British tradition of [[social anthropology]] tends to dominate. In the United States, anthropology has traditionally been divided into the [[four field approach]] developed by Franz Boas in the early 20th century: [[Biological anthropology|''biological'' or ''physical'' anthropology]]; [[social anthropology|''social'']], [[cultural anthropology|''cultural'']], or [[sociocultural anthropology|''sociocultural'' anthropology]]; [[archaeology|archaeological anthropology]]; and [[linguistic anthropology]]. These fields frequently overlap but tend to use different methodologies and techniques.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://americananthro.org/learn-teach/what-is-anthropology/ | title=What is Anthropology? | work=The American Anthropological Association }}</ref>

European countries with overseas colonies tended to practice more [[ethnology]] (a term coined and defined by [[Adam František Kollár|Adam F. Kollár]] in 1783). It is sometimes referred to as sociocultural anthropology in the parts of the world that were influenced by the European tradition.<ref>Layton, Robert (1998) ''An Introduction to Theory in Anthropology''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref>