What is anthropology?
Anthropology is the study of humanity and how humans have evolved as a species biologically, culturally, and behaviorally. There are four basic fields of anthropology, all equally diverse and fascinating: cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archeology. My focus is on cultural anthropology.
What is Cultural Anthropology?
Cultural Anthropology is the branch the focuses on human variation among different cultures. This field studies how culture is similar and different among past and present societies, between language, traditions, customs, behaviors, and more. Cultural anthropology is a very broad topic with a variety of different pathways of study. Some examples include religion, science, medicine, politics, mind, ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and language. Even within each of these are a million sub-topics. For example, anthropology of the arts consists of anything from visual arts to music to performing arts. And this is where theater falls in.
What does anthropology have to do with theater?
Looking at cultural anthropology through theater specifically will show us how theater has developed and evolved and how it varies among different cultures. Theater is something that has been practiced for hundreds of years around the world, since the beginning of human civilization. It has become a common form of entertainment and has established its place in the performing arts industry. By observing how it has evolved and changed, we can see where theater came from and what direction it is headed.
Why theater?
Theater has a been a passion of mine since elementary school. I find all aspects of it absolutely fascinating. I’ve been a part of every single musical theater production my school has had to offer since third grade and I played the lead in some of them. But apart from performing in shows, I’m also a fan of other theatrical productions all around. I’ve seen other high schools perform and have always wanted to see a Broadway show live. I’ve seen shows in other countries as well. It has always been so cool for me to see how each show differs from the other. I also love looking at history and seeing how theater was in the past or how it has grown, changed, or stayed the same. I’m still learning and doing more research every day, and I hope this blog interests you as much as theatre interests me!
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