Social Anthropology

This site is about social anthropology. It is about people.

Social anthropology is a science. It is a recognized subject taught at several universities, including at least one I located in Britain and one in New Zealand. Loosely stated, social anthropology is the study of people, and of how they interact with each other in today's global society.

I started realizing its significance after reading a short article in the French Edition of "Vogue". The article was about the "desexualization" of our society. It convincingly pointed out how people talk more about sex in magazines and on TV shows, but have less and less sex in real life. A particularly relevant thought on the subject was attributed to Jean-Philippe Delhomme, Director of the French Institute for Fashion, who is considered a renowned expert on social anthropology .

Social anthropology is about what people do. About what they think. What they like and dislike. How they behave with respect to each other, how they try to influence each other. How they try to pursue happiness and enjoy themselves.

It is about males and females. How they desire each other and try to make themselves desirable to each other. It is about sex and about politics. It is about artistic aspirations, the pursuit of beauty. It is about philosophy and the age-old attempt to define morals in a way that makes logical sense. It is about the quest to live a meaningful life.

It is also about failed aspirations, envy, dominance, bickering, frustrations, fights, incompetence and bureaucracy.

Some academics may disagree, but we believe that social anthropology cannot be studied in textbooks. Insight must be gained slowly by reading tabloids, watching MTV, traveling, going to beaches, parties and discotheques, art gallery openings, political rallies, corporate training sessions and fashion shows.