cultural anthropology

American  

noun

1. the branch of anthropology dealing with the origins, history, and development of human culture, and including in its scope the fields of archaeology, ethnology, and ethnography.

---

cultural anthropology British  

noun

1. the branch of anthropology dealing with cultural as opposed to biological and racial features

---

cultural anthropology Scientific  

/ kŭl′chər-əl /

1. The branch of anthropology that studies the development of human cultures based on ethnographic, linguistic, social, and psychological data.

2. Compare physical anthropology

---

Other Word Forms

• cultural anthropologist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cultural anthropology

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cultural anthropology

This is where archaeology and cultural anthropology become decisive again, because genes are not enough to reconstruct the social scene based on encounters between Neanderthals and Sapiens.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

But before that she was a cultural anthropology major and Fulbright scholar who studied cultural identity among second-generation North African women in France.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026

Once they leave the military they often "feel entitled" to a good job, said Hyun Mee Kim, a professor of cultural anthropology at Yonsei University in Seoul, who studies feminism.

From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2025

Orin Starn, a Duke University cultural anthropology professor who studies the impact sports have on society, said teams often contribute to their communities’ recovery after tragedies.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

To learn a little about what other kinds of civilizations are possible, we can study history and cultural anthropology.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan