Anthropology Optional For UPSC CSE 2022

ANTHROPOLOGY

Anthropology studies human beings in diverse aspects. These could be in terms of biology and evolution, society and culture, environment and ecology, demography and tribes, health and disease, human development from pre-natal stage to senescence, human genetics, research methods, religion, marriage, family among others. Hence, Anthropology has quite a diverse subject matter.

Anthropology as an Optional is proved to be one of the best selection made by many UPSC Toppers with its perk being syllabus confined.

ANTHROPOLOGY optional has become favorite of UPSC aspirants these days. Since it is yielding 300+ marks every year to the UPSC-Civil Services Examination toppers. 

Let’s understand What Anthropology contains as an Optional subject:

Anthropology as a subject has various dimensions:

Diverse – ANTHROPOLOGY covers various dimensions, like- social, biological and archaeological.

Indian society- In Social Anthropology we study people and their society. And thus, we come to know about various aspects of Indian society.

Geographical locations- Availability of resource plays an important role in deciding which optional subject one should take. In Anthropology, adequate study material is available.

Prepares Cultural part of General Studies- Anthropology optional helps in preparing cultural part in GS paper: we study different cultural practices across India and the world, in past and present

Biological anthropology- In biological Anthropology you will learn about genetics, human physical features, the concept of race, public health, diseases and demographic data of India on diseases, various policies for human welfare tribal laws and welfare committee and commission.

Studies tribes and policy impact on them – • Here you have to read about 5-year plan and current affairs of tribes, recent policies and their impact.

Let’s now look at the Trend of UPSC Toppers with Anthropology as Optional:

NOTE: PI-Paper1,PII-Paper 2,YOP-Year of passing

Why Join UPSC GUIDE for Anthropology:

• Affordable Course fee with Quality Content
• Access to Online Live and recorded lectures
• Lecture notes to be provided in PDF Format
• Learn from Anywhere and Anytime

SYLLABUS TO BE COVERED

INTRODUCTION, SCOPE AND DEVELOPMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES:

• History
• Sociology
• Political science
• Economics
• Psychology
• Medical sciences
• Earth sciences

MAIN BRANCHES

• Socio-cultural anthropology
• Biological anthropology 
• Archaeological anthropology
• Linguistic anthropology

HUMAN EVOLUTION

• Biological and cultural factors
• Theories of organic evolution (Lamarckism, Darwinism)
• Synthetic evolution 
• Dollo’s rule
• Cope’s rule
• Gause’s rule
• Parallelism
• Convergence
• Adaptive radiation
• Mosaic evolution

PRIMATE CHARACTERISTICS

• Evolutionary trend
• Primate classification
• Primate adaptation
• Primate behaviour
• Tertiary and quaternary fossil primates
• Living major primates
• Comparative anatomy of man and apes
• Skeletal changes due to erect posture and its implications
• Phylogenetic status, characteristics and geographical distribution of the following:
• Pleo- Pleistocene hominids in south and east Africa- Australopithecines
• Homo erectus:   Africa (Paranthropus), Europe (homo erectus heidelbergensis), Asia(homo erectus Javanicus, homo erectus  pekinensis)
• Neanderthal man: la- chapelle-aux saints (classical type....mt carmel (progressive type)
• Rhodesian man
• Homo sapiens:  Cro-Magnon, Grimaldi, Chancelede)

BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF LIFE

• The cell
• DNA structure and replication
• Protein synthesis
• Gene
• Mutation chromosomes cell division

DATING METHODS- 

• Relative dating methods
• Absolute dating methods 

CULTURE EVOLUTION

• Palaeolithic
• Mesolithic
• Neolithic
• Chalcolithic
• Copper- bronze age
• Iron age

THE NATURE OF CULTURE

• The concept of culture
• Characteristics of culture
• Civilization
• Difference between culture and civilization
• Ethnocentrism
• Cultural relativism

NATURE OF SOCIETY

• Concept of society  
• Society and culture
• Social institutions
• Social groups 
• Social stratification

MARRAIGE:

• Definition and universality
• Laws of marriage
• Types of marriage
• Function of marriage 
• Marriage regulations
• Marriage payments

FAMILY:

• Definition and universality
• Family, household and domestic groups
• Functions of family
• Types of family
• Impact of urbanization, industrialization and feminist movements on family 

KINSHIP

• Consanguinity and affinity 
• Principles and types of descent
• Forms of descent groups
• Kinship terminology
• Descent and filiation and complementary filiation
• Descent and alliance

ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION

• Meaning, scope and relevance of economic anthropology
• Formalist and substantivism debate
• Principles governing production, distribution and exchange
• Hunting, food gathering and fishing
• Pastoralism
• Horticulture
• Agriculture
• Globalization and indigenous economic systems

POLITICAL ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL CONTROL

• Band 
• Tribe
• Chiefdom
• Kingdom and state
• Concepts of power
• Authority and legitimacy
• Social control
• Law and justice

RELIGION:

• Anthropological approaches to study religion
• Monotheism and polytheism
• Sacred and profane
• Myths and rituals
• Forms of religion
• Religion, magic and science
• Magic-religious functionaries

ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORIES

• Classical evolutionism
• Historical particularism
• Functionalism
• Structuralism
• Culture and personality
• Neo- Evolutionism
• Cultural materialism
• Symbolic and Interpretive theories
• Cognitive theories
• Post modernism

CULTURE, LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

• Nature, origin and characteristics of language
• Verbal and non- verbal communication
• Social context of language use

RESEARCH METHODS IN ANTHROPOLOGY

• Fieldwork tradition
• Distinction between technique, method and methodology
• Tools of data collection
• Analysis, interpretation and presentation data

HUMAN GENETICS

• Methods and applications
• Twin study
• Foster method 
• Co twin method
• Cytogenetic method
• Chromosomal and karyo-type analysis
• Biochemical methods
• Immunological methods
• DNA recombinant technology

MENDELIAN GENETICS

• Man- family study
• Single factor 
• Multifactor
• Lethal and sub lethal
• Polygenic inheritance

GENETIC POLYMORPHISM

• Mandelian population
• Hardy-Weinberg law
• Changes in gene frequencies
• Consanguineous and non- consanguineous mating
• Genetic load
• Genetic effect pf cousin marriage

CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATIONS IN MAN

• Numerical and structural aberrations
• Sex chromosomal aberrations
• Autosomal aberrations
• Genetic imprints in human disease, genetic screening, genetic counselling, DNA Profiling, gene mapping, genome study

RACE AND RACISM

• Biological basis of morphological variation of non-metric and metric characters
• Racial criteria
• Racial traits in relation of heredity and environment
• Biological basis of racial classification
• Racial differentiation
• Race crossing in man

AGE, SEX AND POPULATION VARIATION

• Genetic markers (ABO, Rh blood groups. HLA, Hp, Transferrin, Gm, Blood enzymes)
• Physiological characteristics (Hb level, body fat, pulse rate, respiratory functions and sensory perceptions in scoio-cultural groups)

ECOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• Biological adaptations
• Genetic and non-genetic factors
• Responses to hot, cold and high altitude

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• Health and disease
• Infectious and non-infectious diseases
• Nutritional deficiency related diseases

HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Stages of growth
• Pre- natal
• Natal
• Infant
• Childhood
• The Tribal Culture of India – LP Vidyarthi
• January 2014 edition of Yojana- Tribal and Marginalized Communities 
• Xaxa ReportAdolescence
• Maturity
• Senescence (theories, observations)
• Factors affecting it(environmental, biological, nutritional, cultural etc

FERTILITY

• Menarche
• Menopause
• Fertility patterns
• Fertility differentials

DEMOGRAPHIC THEORIES

• The Tribal Culture of India – LP Vidyarthi
• January 2014 edition of Yojana- Tribal and Marginalized Communities 
• Xaxa ReportBiological
• Social
• Cultural

APPLICATIONS OF ANTHROPOLOGY

• Sports
• Nutritional
• Defence and other equipment’s’
• Forensic
• Sero-genetics
• Cytogenetics

ANTHROPOLOGY OPTIONAL SUBJECT RECOMMENDED BOOKLIST

• The Tribal Culture of India – LP Vidyarthi
• January 2014 edition of Yojana- Tribal and Marginalized Communities 

Xaxa ReportPAPER-I

• Anthropology – Ember and Ember
• Physical Anthropology – P Nath
• Braintree material
• For diagrams- Anthropology Simplified – Vivek Bhasme 

PAPER-II

Indian Anthropology -Nadeem Hasnain

Tribal India – Nadeem Hasnain

Anthropology Simplified- Vivek Bhasme

The Tribal Culture of India – LP Vidyarthi

January 2014 edition of Yojana- Tribal and Marginalized Communities

Xaxa Report