Educational anthropology, or the anthropology of education, is a sub-field of

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

and is widely associated with the pioneering work of

Margaret Mead Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist who featured frequently as an author and speaker in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard C ...

and later,

George Spindler George Dearborn Spindler was a leading figure in 20th-century anthropology and regarded as the founder of the anthropology of education. He edited a very large series of short monographs, turning nearly every significant ethnographic text of the 20 ...

Solon Kimball Solon Toothaker Kimball (August 12, 1909 – October 12, 1982) was a noted educator and anthropologist. Kimball was born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1930, then received a master's degree and Ph.D in ...

, and

Dell Hymes Dell Hathaway Hymes (June 7, 1927 in Portland, Oregon – November 13, 2009 in Charlottesville, Virginia) was a linguist, sociolinguist, anthropologist, and folklorist who established disciplinary foundations for the comparative, ethnographic st ...

, and

Jean Lave Jean Lave is a social anthropologist who theorizes learning as changing participation in on-going changing practice. Her lifework challenges conventional theories of learning and education. Education and career Lave received a Bachelor's from ...

. It gained attraction as a field of study during the 1970s, particularly due to professors at

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties and ...

. As the name would suggest, the focus of educational anthropology is on education, although an anthropological approach to education tends to focus on the cultural aspects of education, including informal as well as formal education. Some of the earliest texts that argued for and illustrated the usefulness of anthropology applied to formal educational settings were ''Education and Anthropology'' (1955), edited by

, and ''Anthropological Perspectives on Education'' (1971), co-edited by Murray L. Wax, Stanley Diamond, and Fred O. Gearing. Educational anthropologists try to focus on education and multiculturalism, educational pluralism, culturally relevant pedagogy and native methods of learning and socializing. Educational anthropologists are also interested in the education of marginal and peripheral communities within large nation states. It is more of an applied field as the focus of educational anthropology is on improving teaching learning process in a culturally plural context. Educational Anthropology becomes more relevant with the advent of globalization, we now have classrooms which are a melting pots of different cultures. As education involves understandings of who we are, it is not surprising that the single most recognized dictum of educational anthropology is that the field is centrally concerned with cultural transmission. Cultural transmission involves the transfer of a sense of identity between generations, sometimes known as

enculturation Enculturation is the process by which people learn the dynamics of their surrounding culture and acquire values and norms appropriate or necessary to that culture and its worldviews.Grusec, Joan E.; Hastings, Paul D. ''Handbook of Socialization: ...

and also transfer of identity between cultures, sometimes known as

acculturation Acculturation is a process of social, psychological, and cultural change that stems from the balancing of two cultures while adapting to the prevailing culture of the society. Acculturation is a process in which an individual adopts, acquires and ...

. Accordingly, it is also not surprising that educational anthropology has become increasingly focused on ethnic identity and ethnic change.

Journals

Some of the main journals in the field include: *

Anthropology & Education Quarterly The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 members, the association, based in Arlington, Virginia, includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, ...

* Education & Culture * Ethnography and Education Journal * Pedagogy, Culture, and Society

References

Anthropology Comparative education {{edu-stub