Anthropology Notes for UPSC PDF: Anthropology for UPSC Mains

Anthropology is the scientific study of human societies, cultures, and their development over time. It encompasses various subfields, such as cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology. By studying anthropology, we gain insights into the diversity of human societies, their social institutions, cultural practices, evolutionary processes, and their impact on contemporary issues.

Anthropology is an integral part of the UPSC examination and is included as an optional subject in the mains examination. A comprehensive understanding of anthropology is crucial for answering questions related to society, culture, social issues, and human development.

This article on the Anthropology Notes for UPSC PDF aims to cover various aspects of anthropology that are important for the UPSC examination. This notes will provide you with a holistic understanding of anthropology and equip you with the necessary knowledge to tackle anthropology-related questions confidently.

Anthropology Notes for UPSC Mains

Social-Cultural Anthropology

• Social-cultural anthropology
• Types of religious practices
• Types of family
• Functions of marriage
• Functions of family
• Types of descent
• Group marriage
• Culture and civilization
• Endogamy and exogamy
• Hypergamy and hypogamy
• Type of marriage
• Monogamy
• Polygamy
• Animatism
• Totemism
• Sanskritization
• Sacred and profane
• Animism
• Linguistic minorities
• Caste mobility
• Jajmani system
• Westernization
• Modernization
• Religious minorities
• Religion and Society
• Religious communities in India
• Nature-Man-Spirit Complex
• Sacred Complex
• Fetishism
• Cultural Evolution
• Perspectives of Structure
• Feminist Movements on Family
• Kinship terminology
• Fieldwork tradition in anthropology
• Varnashram
• Classical evolutionism
• Social institution
• Social groups
• Social stratification
• Meaning, Scope and Development of Anthropology
• Relationships with other disciplines
• Main branches of Anthropology, their scope and relevance
• Residence and Succession
• Impact of Urbanization
• Authority and Legitimacy
• Social Control
• Magico-religious Functionaries
• Political Organization and Social Control
• Band
• Tribe
• Chiefdom
• Kingdom and State
• Law and Justice in Simple Societies
• The Nature of Culture
• Ethnocentrism
• Cultural Relativism
• Culture and Personality
• Neo-evolutionism
• Cultural Materialism
• Myths and Rituals
• Symbolic and Interpretive Theories
• Cognitive Theories
• Post-modernism in Anthropology
• Indian Village
• Impact of Globalization on Indian Villages
• Panchayati Raj and Social Change
• Media and Social Change
• Development of Forest Policy and Tribals
• Tribal Policies
• Programmes of Tribal Development and their Implementation
• Role of NGOs in Tribal Development
• Impact of Urbanization and Industrialization on Tribal Populations
• Social Change among the Tribes during Colonial and Post-Independent India
• Unrest among Tribal Communities
• Pseudo-tribalism
• Tribe and Nation-State
• Role of Anthropology in Tribal and Rural Development
• Contributions of Anthropology to the Understanding of Political Movements
• Contributions of Anthropology to the Understanding of Communalism
• Anthropological Approaches to the Study of Religion

Biological Anthropology

• Biological and cultural factors in human evolution
• Primates
• Homo sapiens
• Neanderthal man
• Australopithecines
• Homo erectus
• Human genetics
• Twin study
• Human growth and development
• Ramapethicus
• Genetic disorders
• Cope’s rule
• Primate Adaptations
• Primate Taxonomy
• Tertiary and Quaternary fossil primates
• Living Major Primates
• Epidemiological Anthropology
• Nutritional Anthropology
• Cyto genetic method
• Narmada Man
• Mendelian Genetics in Man (Family Study)
• Mendelian Population
• Isolation
• Genetic Load
• Racial Criteria
• Biological Basis of Racial Classification
• Race and Racism
• Bio-cultural Adaptations
• Ageing and Senescence
• Human Physique and Somatotypes
• Biological and Chronological Longevity
• Applied Human Genetics
• Paternity Diagnosis
• Genetic Counselling and Eugenics
• Fertility Patterns and Differentials
• Bio-genetic Variability
• DNA Technology in Diseases and Medicine
• Serogenetics and Cytogenetics in Reproductive Biology
• Mans Physiological Responses to Environmental Stresses
• Methods and Principles of Personal Identification and Reconstruction

Archaeological Anthropology

• Prehistoric archaeology
• Paleolithic age
• Mesolithic age
• Archaeological anthropology
• Mosaic Evolution
• Prehistoric archaeology
• Paleolithic age
• Mesolithic age
• Ethno-archaeology in India
• Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology
• Arboreal and Terrestrial
• Evolutionary Trend and Primate Taxonomy

Economic Anthropology

• Economic anthropology
• Biochemical techniques
• Economic Organization
• Industrialization
• Principles governing production, distribution, and exchange (reciprocity, redistribution, and market)

Linguistic Anthropology

• Linguistic Anthropology

Theoretical Anthropology

• Relationship between sociology and anthropology
• Malinowski functionalism
• Levi-Strauss structuralism
• Historical particularism
• Technique, method, and methodology

General Anthropology:

• Purushartha
• Karma
• Rina
• Phylogenetic Status, Characteristics, and Geographical Distribution
• Plio-Pleistocene Hominids in South and East Africa (Australopithecines)
• Indian Village as a Social System
• Traditional and Changing Patterns of Settlement
• Interplay of Little and Great Traditions
• Formalist and Substantivist Debate
• Racial Traits in Relation to Heredity and Environment
• Anthropology in Designing of Defence and Other Equipments

Miscellaneous

• Consanguinity and affinity
• Polyandry
• Adaptive radiation
• Protein synthesis
• Mutation
• Monotheism and Polytheism
• Doll's rule
• Parallelism
• Marriage regulations
• Marriage payments
• Blood relation
• Decent and Alliance
• Social Context of Language Use
• Numerical and Structural Aberrations (Disorders)
• Klinefelter (XXY)
• Turner (XO)
• Super Female (XXX Syndrome)
• Skeletal Changes due to Erect Posture and its Implications
• Magic and Science Distinguished
• Autosomal Aberrations
• Chromosomes and Chromosomal Aberrations in Man
• Demographic Profile of India
• Impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Christianity on Indian Society
• Intersex and Other Syndromic Disorders
• Methodologies for Growth Studies

Conclusion

Anthropology plays a significant role in the UPSC examination, particularly as an optional subject. The anthropology notes provided in this article is designed to assist you in your preparation and enhance your understanding of the subject. By investing time and effort in studying anthropology, you will gain valuable insights into human societies, cultures, and their dynamics, thereby strengthening your overall performance in the UPSC examination.

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