Ethnology studies the unique characteristics of cultural or ethnic groups and how they shape the group’s internal function and relationships with other groups. It focuses on the origins, distribution, social structure, religion, language, economics, and technology of the group. Ethnologists use resources to gain knowledge, while ethnographers become members of the community. The study also analyzes how actions and concepts become natural or taboo within a social structure. Ethnology creates a history of the human family and contributes to understanding human identity.
Ethnology is a specialized discipline in the broader field of anthropology. Within this discipline, the identifying characteristics of a particular cultural or ethnic group are studied in detail, with the aim of understanding how each of these elements shape the internal function of that group. Often, the study will also include understanding how a particular segment of the human family uses its unique characteristics to relate to other ethnic and cultural groups.
There are several areas of interest that make up any serious ethnological research. For any racial, ethnic or cultural group, the focus is on the components that give the group its unique flavor. This includes elements such as the origins of the community, the distribution of its members and the internal social structure that has evolved over time. To fully appreciate these factors it is also necessary to grasp the roles that religion, language, economics and technology play in the formation of group identity.
In most cases, the ethnologist will use resources such as handouts, audio and video recordings, and other tools to gain working knowledge of a particular group. This contrasts with the approach of an ethnographer, who will actually spend time with the group and become a member of the community in any way possible. Both approaches have their merits, with ethnography providing subtle insights that may not be immediately understood by outsiders, and ethnology taking these findings and attempting to present them in a way that everyone can understand.
The process of studying ethnology often seeks to unearth and analyze how certain actions or concepts attain the status of being considered natural or a matter of common sense within a given social structure. At the same time, the ethnological process will explore the origins and development of actions and ideas that are considered taboo within a particular social group and attempt to recreate the chain of events that led to these ideas and actions falling out of favour.
Fundamentally, ethnology is about creating a history of the human family, with due consideration for every culture that has contributed or continues to contribute to the way people today think, act, worship, and live. In this respect, the goals of anthropology and broader ethnology that focus on social or cultural aspects within a particular group are very similar. As with all branches of anthropology, ethnology provides a productive and necessary function in understanding who we are and how we came to be who we are today.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
