What is the Difference Between Social and Cultural Anthropology?

Social and cultural anthropology are two interrelated fields that focus on different aspects of human societies. The main differences between them are:

1. Focus: Social anthropology is concerned with the study of social institutions and their interrelationships within a society, while cultural anthropology focuses on the cultural variation among societies and how people adapt to their environment in non-genetic ways.
2. Geographical scope: Social anthropology has mainly developed within Britain since the early years, while cultural anthropology is more prominent in the US.
3. Influences: Social anthropology has been heavily influenced by intellectual traditions coming from continental Europe, especially from France. In contrast, cultural anthropology in the United States has been influenced by the work of American anthropologists who focused on the ways people expressed their view of themselves, especially in symbolic forms such as art and myths.
4. Research methods: Social anthropologists tend to emphasize observing and participating in the texture of social interactions and identifying underlying patterns. They usually report their research in the form of ethnographies, which are detailed descriptions of the society in question. Cultural anthropologists, on the other hand, focus on understanding the culture of a society and often study isolated communities.

Despite these differences, both fields overlap considerably, and modern socio-cultural anthropologists often attend to all the elements mentioned above, including symbols, values, social groups, and institutions.

Comparative Table: Social vs Cultural Anthropology

The main difference between social and cultural anthropology lies in their focus and methodological approach. Here is a table summarizing the differences:

Both social and cultural anthropology aim to understand human behavior, society, and culture, but they approach these topics from different perspectives and methodologies.