Anthropologist - As a career option

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Introduction

Alexander Pope, the renowned 18th-century poet, started his monumental work ‘Essay on Man’ with the words: ‘Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; the proper study of mankind, is man.’ 

Interestingly, this was way before the term ‘Anthropology’ had made its way into the purview of global academia, pointing out the fact that the importance of a science dedicated to the study of the human race is a natural instinct of any thinking human being.

Anthropologists are people who dedicate their lives to studying the social, physical, linguistic, and cultural aspects of human existence on the planet.

How to become an Anthropologist?

Almost every central collegiate university in India offers BA in Anthropology. Just as Economics, whether or not the subject pertains to the humanities or scientific discipline has been subject to a lot of debate.

Whichever the case, anthropology is often a very interdisciplinary study area that requires knowledge of everything from human anatomy to psychology to things like painting and music, depending on which area of study you’re dealing with.

As with any core science degree in India, the bachelor’s degree will only introduce you to the basics and give you a brief understanding of the discipline, so to say. It is in the MA degree in Anthropology that you really start getting into a specialization.

You can specialize in the historical, cultural, physical or anatomical, or even the linguistic aspects of anthropology, depending on the taste that you develop in course of your bachelor’s degree.

Eligibility criteria to become an Anthropologist

+2: No Restrictions. Students from either stream (Science, Commerce, Arts) are eligible.

Bachelor’s Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

Master’s Degree: Master of Arts in Anthropology (optional)

A day in the life of an Anthropologist

Hi there, I’m an anthropologist working for a central government body that deals primarily with anthropology.

I have a PhD in anthropology from a top Indian university and have been working here for over a decade. My job primarily deals with one of the fascinating group of people in the nation, the Sentinelese people.

You haven’t heard of them, have you? Well, I’m not surprised, because fewer than five hundred of them are still in existence. Even I am not sure how the day is going to be, so come along and let’s find out.

6:00 AM: At present, I’m living in a ship at the reef flats between the Sentinel Island and the Constance Island. Don’t panic, these islands are a part of India, they’re just named by the Britishers.

They’re that bit at the far south-west end of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that nobody talks about. They are home to the indigenous Sentinelese people, who are some of the fascinating un-contacted peoples in the world today.

Their way of living, their culture, language, or society is almost entirely unknown to the larger fraction of us humans, and this is owed to their hostility as a tribe.

8:00 AM: My team, which constitutes of 8 other members – anthropologists, biologists, coast guard members, photographers, etc. – is out on today’s “contact expedition”. We’re going to attempt to get as close to the shore of the Sentinel Islands as possible and get to know the Sentinelese people.

10:00 AM: We are close enough to see the shore of the island, and so far, we can see nothing. One of my colleagues has caught and brought with him several kilos of freshly killed fish – something that the Sentinelese are known to consider their staple food – as an attempt to bring the Sentinels to trust us.

12:00 PM: We can see a group of 30 to 40 Sentinelese people walk out to the shore, probably out of curiosity. We know that they are hostile, and we stayed as far away from them as possible. Remember, their arrows are deadly poisonous.

It feels difficult to fathom the fact that these people have remained strong and are still in perfect health after surviving on this island for over sixty thousand years.

1:00 PM: We reach close to the shore, and one of the older males in the island starts shouting out something indecipherable at us. Sensing threat, my friend throws several of his freshly-caught fish at the Islanders.

Several youngsters run out into the water to catch the fish, but the attitude of the islanders towards us does not change. They remain angry and keep a close watch on us reaching the shore, something realize we cannot do today.

2:00 PM: We take pictures and write extensively in our journals out of what we can see of their culture in recent times. We know that following the massive tsunami that hit the Indian ocean late in 2004, the Sentinelese suffered large decreases in population. As we can see today, however, the population of the Sentinelese has not suffered irrecoverable damage.

3:00 PM: We spent several hours analyzing the population and looking for cultural and social cues. A youngster reached far into the waters and was looking at us with utmost curiosity, shading his eyes from the sun with his hands. A much older, ageing male reaches out behind him and pulls him away from us.

4:00 PM: We are informed by the Indian Coast Guard that it is safe for us to be far away from the island before night falls, so we proceed to return to the ship. I take a last glance at these fascinating people and their intriguing ways.

The Sentinelese murdered two fishermen in 2006 after they illegally landed on the island, and the government of India has since stopped all contact with them. Who knows when somebody else will risk a venture? That’s my day, I guess. All that’s left to do is to head back and get some rest.

Did you like the experience? Do you want to experience such things more often? We hope this article has answered all your queries related to this profession. Have your say in the comment box below. Enjoy Reading!