Anthropology Research Paper Topics

This collection of anthropology research paper topics is aimed to provide students and researchers with a comprehensive list of topics within this vast field of study. Anthropology is a multidisciplinary field, covering a wide range of topics that include cultural practices, human evolution, language, and more. Choosing a research paper topic can be challenging, especially given the breadth of the field. The page begins by providing guidance on how to choose a suitable topic and offers tips on writing a successful anthropology research paper. This list classifies main topics in anthropology into 12 categories:

1. Applied Anthropology
2. Archaeology
3. Biological Anthropology
4. Cultural Anthropology
5. Evolution
6. Linguistic Anthropology
7. Paleontology
8. Philosophical Anthropology
9. Psychology and Anthropology
10. Anthropology of Religion
11. Sociology and Anthropology
12. Theory in Anthropology

Some topics may appear in more than one category.

Anthropology is the scientific study of humankind’s origin, biology, and culture. It encompasses a vast—and some might say, untidy—body of knowledge that has rarely been organized. In real-life terms, an informal but yawning gap has existed between those who study culture, especially of present and past historically known societies, and those who wrestle with the issues of human origin.

Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Applied Anthropology Research Paper Topics

1. Action anthropology
2. Aesthetic appreciation
3. Affirmative action
4. ALFRED: The ALlele FREquency Database
5. Alternative health care
6. Anthropology and business
7. Anthropology and the Third World
8. Artificial intelligence
9. Bioethics and anthropology
10. Bioinformatics
11. Biomedicine
12. Biometrics
13. Carbon-14 dating
14. Careeers in anthropology
15. Clinical anthropology
16. Counseling
17. Dating techniques
18. Demography
19. Dendrochronology
20. Dispute resolution
21. DNA testing
22. Ecology and anthropology
23. Economic anthropology
24. Economics and anthropology
25. Environmental ethics
26. Ethics and anthropology
27. Ethnoecology
28. Ethnomedicine
29. Ethnopharmacology
30. Ethnopsychiatry
31. Ethnoscience
32. Ethnosemantics
33. Field methods
34. Forensic anthropology
35. Forensic artists
36. Geomagnetism
37. History of anthropology
38. Human behavioral ecology
39. Human rights and anthropology
40. Human rights in the global society
41. Intercultural education
42. Irrigation
43. Justice and anthropology
44. Law and anthropology
45. Law and society
46. Medical genetics
47. Multiculturalism
48. Museums
49. Native studies
50. New dating techniques
51. Paleomagnetism
52. Political anthropology
53. Political economy
54. Potassium-Argon dating
55. Practicing anthropology
56. Radiometric dating techniques
57. Relative dating techniques
58. Rights of indigenous peoples today
59. Social Anthropology
60. Tutankhamun and Zahi Hawass
61. Twin studies
62. United Nations and anthropology
63. Uranium-Lead dating
64. Urban anthropology
65. Urban ecology
66. Visual Anthropology
67. Women’s studies
68. Y-STR DNA
69. Zoos

Applied anthropology, in its broader sense, is distinguished primarily from academic anthropology as anthropological methods and data put to use outside of the classroom. This is not to say that all anthropological methods and data put to use outside of the classroom is applied anthropology; field research also is anthropological methods and data put to use outside of the classroom, but it can be used for academic purposes, as well as for practical application. Applied anthropology is used to solve practical problems outside of the academic world, and it has appeared under such names as action anthropology, development anthropology, practicing anthropology, and advocacy anthropology among others. Rear more about applied anthropology.

Archaeology Research Paper Topics

1. Abu Simbel
2. Acheulean culture
3. Acropolis
4. Altamira cave
5. Ancient Crete
6. Ancient Egypt
7. Ancient Rome
8. Angkor Wat
9. Archaeology
10. Archaeology and gender studies
11. Archaeology of war
12. Architectural anthropology
13. Atapuerca
14. Aurignacian culture
15. Aztec agriculture
16. Babylon
17. Biblical archaeology
18. Blombos cave
19. Burial mounds
20. Cave art
21. Celtic Europe
22. Chichen Itza
23. Clovis culture
24. Coliseum
25. Copper age
26. Egyptology
27. Environmental archaeology
28. Eoliths
29. Excavation
30. Fa Hien cave
31. Fayoum culture
32. Folsom culture
33. Ghost towns
34. Graves
35. Great Wall of China
36. Hand axes
37. Harappa
38. Historicism
39. History of Anthropology
40. History of city
41. Indus civilization
42. Iron age
43. Jarmo
44. Koba
45. Lascaux cave
46. Lazaret cave
47. Levalloisian tradition
48. Llano culture
49. Machu Picchu
50. Maritime archaeology
51. Mayas
52. Medieval archaeology
53. Mesolithic cultures
54. Mesopotamian civilization
55. Metallurgy
56. Middens
57. Modjokerto
58. Mohenjo Daro
59. Monte Verde
60. Mummies and mummification
61. Museums
62. National Museum of Anthropology
63. Natufian culture
64. Nazca culture
65. Neandertal burials
66. Neandertal evidence
67. Neandertal sites
68. Neolithic cultures
69. Ochre
70. Ohio Hopewell
71. Oldowan culture
72. Olduvai Gorge
73. Olmecs
74. Orce
75. Petra
76. Petroglyphs
77. Pictographs
78. Pottery and ceramics
79. Prehistory
80. Pu’uhonua o Honaunau
81. Pyramids
82. Ramses II
83. Rapa Nui
84. Rock art
85. Sahara anthropology
86. Salvage archaeology
87. Sangiran
88. Shanidar cave
89. Stonehenge
90. Sumerian civilization
91. Taj Mahal
92. Technology
93. Temples
94. Tenoctitlan
95. Terra Amata
96. Tikal
97. Tiwanaku [Tiahuanaco]
98. Tools and evolution
99. Troy
100. Tutankhamun and Zahi Hawass
101. Ubirr
102. Ur
103. Urbanism in ancient Egypt
104. Uxmal
105. Venus of Willendorf
106. Vikings
107. Zafarraya cave
108. Ziggurats
109. Zooarchaeology

Archaeology is the study of human cultures through the study of material and environmental remains. The word, derived from ancient Greek, means “the study of antiquity.” Archaeology is one of the four subfields of anthropology, together with biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and social/cultural anthropology. Archaeological remains can take many forms, two of the basic ones being artifacts (any object altered by human hands) and faunal remains, or midden (food remnants such as bone and shell). Artifacts can be anything from simple flaked stone tools and pottery sherds to the most elaborate and priceless objects found in such treasure troves as the tomb of Tutankhamun. These finds constitute the archaeological record, which archaeologists then piece together to interpret as much as they can about the cultures they are studying. Read more about archaeology.

Cultural and Social Anthropology Research Paper Topics

1. Aborigines
2. Agricultural revolution
3. Aleuts
4. Algonguians
5. Altamira cave
6. Anasazi
7. Anthropology of war
8. Aotearoa (New Zealand)
9. Ape culture
10. Argentina
11. Asante
12. Asia
13. Athabascan
14. Australia
15. Australian aborigines
16. Aymara
17. Balkans
18. Baluchistan
19. Berdache
20. Brazil
21. Bride price
22. Cannibalism
23. Caribs
24. Caste system
25. Celtic Europe
26. Chachapoya Indians
27. Chants
28. Characteristics of culture
29. Childhood
30. Childhood studies
31. Clans
32. Class societies
33. Collectors
34. Complex Societies
35. Configurationalism
36. Copper Age
37. Cross-cultural research
38. Cuba
39. Cults
40. Cultural adaptation
41. Cultural conservation
42. Cultural constraints
43. Cultural convergence
44. Cultural ecology
45. Cultural relativism
46. Cultural traits
47. Cultural tree of life
48. Culture
49. Culture and personality
50. Culture area concept
51. Culture change
52. Culture of poverty
53. Culture shock
54. Cyberculture
55. Darkness in El Dorado controversy
56. Diffusionism
57. Division of labor
58. Dowry
59. Egalitarian societies
60. El Ceren
61. Elders
62. Emics
63. Endogamy
64. Eskimo acculturation
65. Eskimos
66. Ethnocentrism
67. Ethnographer
68. Ethnographic fieldwork
69. Ethnographic writing
70. Ethnography
71. Ethnohistory
72. Ethnology
73. Etics
74. Eudyspluria
75. Exogamy
76. Extended family
77. Feasts and Festivals
78. Feuding
79. Fiji
80. Folk culture
81. Folk speech
82. Folk speech
83. Folkways
84. Forms of family
85. French structuralism
86. Functionalism
87. Gangs
88. Genocide
89. Gerontology
90. Globalization
91. Great Wall of China
92. Guarani Nandeva Indians
93. Gypsies
94. Haidas
95. Haiti
96. Hinduism
97. History of Anthropology
98. Homosexuality
99. Hopi Indians
100. Horticulture
101. Hottentots
102. Huari [Wari]
103. Human competition and stress
104. Human life cycle
105. Ik
106. Indonesia
107. Informants
108. Inoku Village
109. Intelligence
110. Intensive agriculture
111. Inuit
112. IQ tests
113. Iron Age
114. Iroquois
115. Irrigation
116. Israel
117. Jewelry
118. Jews
119. Kibbutz
120. Kinship and descent
121. Kinship terminology
122. Koba
123. Kula ring
124. Kulturkreise
125. Kung Bushmen
126. Kwakiutls
127. Labor
128. Language and culture
129. Lapps
130. Lascaux cave
131. Maasai
132. Mana
133. Manioc beer
134. Ma-ori
135. Marquesas
136. Marriage
137. Matriarchy
138. Mbuti Pygmies
139. Memes
140. Mexico
141. Miami Indians
142. Migrations
143. Modal personality
144. Mongolia
145. Monogamy
146. Mores
147. Multiculturalism
148. Mundugamor
149. Music
150. Native Peoples of Central and South America
151. Native Peoples of the Great Plains
152. Native Peoples of the United States
153. Navajo
154. Nomads
155. Northern Iroquoian Nations
156. Nuclear family
157. Objectivity in ethnography
158. Ojibwa
159. Oldowan culture
160. Olmecs
161. Omaha Indians
162. Onas
163. Oral literature
164. Orality and anthropology
165. Ornamentation
166. Pacific rim
167. Pacific seafaring
168. Panama
169. Patriarchy
170. Peasants
171. People’s Republic of China and Taiwan
172. Peyote rituals
173. Plant cultivatiion
174. Political organizations
175. Political science
176. Polyandry
177. Polygamy
178. Polygyny
179. Polynesians
180. Population explosion
181. Potlatch
182. Qing, the Last Dynasty of China
183. Quechua
184. Rank and status
185. Rank Societies
186. Rarotonga
187. Rites of passage
188. Role and status
189. Sambungmachan
190. Samburu
191. Samoa
192. San Bushmen
193. Sardinia
194. Sartono
195. Secret societies
196. Segmentary lineage systems
197. Sex identity
198. Sex roles
199. Sexual harassment
200. Sexuality
201. Siberia
202. Simulacra
203. Slash-and-burn agriculture
204. Slavery
205. Social structures
206. Sociobiology
207. Stereotypes
208. Structuralism
209. Subcultures
210. Sudanese society
211. Symboling
212. Tahiti
213. Taj Mahal
214. Tasmania
215. Technology
216. Textiles and clothing
217. Tierra del Fuego
218. Tikopia
219. Tlingit
220. Tlingit culture
221. Tonga
222. Transcultural psychiatry
223. Travel
224. Ubirr
225. Untouchables
226. Urban legends
227. Vanishing cultures
228. Venezuela
229. Venus of Willendorf
230. Verification in ethnography
231. Villages
232. Work and skills
233. Yabarana Indians
234. Yaganes
235. Yanomamo
236. Zande
237. Zapotecs
238. Zulu
239. Zuni Indians

Cultural anthropology is the study of human patterns of thought and behavior, and how and why these patterns differ, in contemporary societies. Cultural anthropology is sometimes called social anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, or ethnology. Cultural anthropology also includes pursuits such as ethnography, ethnohistory, and cross-cultural research. Read more about cultural anthropology.

Evolution Research Paper Topics

1. Ape biogeography
2. Aquatic ape hypothesis
3. Arboreal hypothesis
4. Arc of evolution
5. Australopithecines
6. Biological adaptation
7. Biological anthropology
8. Biological anthropology and neo-Darwinism
9. Catastrophism
10. Charles Darwin
11. Cladistics
12. Creationism versus geology
13. Darwin and Germany
14. Darwin and India
15. Darwin and Italy
16. Darwinism versus Lamarckism
17. Dinosaurian hominid
18. Disbelief in evolution
19. Dropithecus
20. Dynamic integrity
21. Evolution education controversy
22. Evolution of primate brain
23. Evolutionary anthropology
24. Evolutionary epistemology
25. Evolutionary ethics
26. Evolutionary ontology
27. Evolutionary psychology
28. Extinction
29. Fossil record
30. Fossils
31. Galapagos Islands
32. Gigantopithecus
33. Hominid taxonomy
34. Hominoids
35. Homo antecessor
36. Homo erectus
37. Homo ergaster
38. Homo habilis
39. Homo sapiens
40. Human canopy evolution
41. Human evolution
42. Human genetics
43. Humans and dinosaurs
44. India and evolution
45. Issues in hominization
46. Kenyanthropus platyops
47. Kenyapithecus wickeri
48. Lucy reconstruction models
49. Mass extinctions
50. Meganthropus
51. Models of evolution
52. Modern Darwinism
53. Molecular evolution
54. Monkey Trial [1925]
55. Monogenesis versus polygenesis
56. Morphology versus molecules in evolution
57. Narmada man
58. Natural selection
59. Neandertal evidence
60. Neandertals
61. Neo-Darwinism
62. Non-Darwinian evolutionary mechanisms
63. Orangutan-human evolution
64. Oreopithecus
65. Organic evolution
66. Origin of life
67. Origin of Neo-Darwinism
68. Primate extinction
69. Primate genetics
70. Primate morphology and evolution
71. Russia and evolution
72. Sahelanthropus tchadensis
73. Sexual selection
74. Social Darwinism
75. State Darwin Museum, Moscow, Russia
76. Theories
77. Uniformitarianism
78. Zinjanthropus boisei

The term ‘evolution’ is widely used to denote the development through time of societies, cultures, and more especially of living species. It is often contrasted with the view that these entities were divinely created as we see them today, and is routinely (but incorrectly according to modern biological theory) associated with the idea of progress. This article outlines the various models of evolution that have been suggested to account for the development of life and social organization, and then shows how the theories were formulated and popularized. Particular attention is paid to the work of Charles Darwin, whose theory of biological evolution by natural selection is now seen as the most influential expression of the basic idea of natural development. However, non- Darwinian evolutionary ideas also played a role in biology and were perceived to have implications for social evolution. Read more about evolution.

Linguistics Research Paper Topics

1. Anatomy and physiology of speech
2. Animal language
3. Ape communication
4. Ape intelligence
5. Ape language
6. Artificial intelligence
7. Chants
8. Classification of language
9. Cognitive science
10. Computer languages
11. Computers and humankind
12. Counseling
13. Culture
14. Ethnographic semantics
15. Ethnographic writing
16. Ethnosemantics
17. Folk speech
18. Folk speech
19. Generative grammar
20. Global language
21. Glottochronology
22. Historical linguistics
23. History of anthropology
24. Intelligence
25. Kanzi
26. Kinship terminology
27. Koko (lowland gorilla)
28. Language
29. Language and biology
30. Language and culture
31. Linguistic reconstruction
32. Memes
33. Myths and mythology
34. Oral literature
35. Orality and anthropology
36. Origin of language
37. Paralanguage
38. Paralinguistic communication
39. Phonetics
40. Phonology
41. Protolanguage
42. Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
43. Sociolinguistics
44. Sociology of language use
45. Swahili
46. Symboling
47. Transformational lingusitics
48. Types of language
49. Universals in culture
50. Universals in language
51. Vanishing languages
52. Washoe

Linguistic anthropology examines the links between language and culture, including how language relates to thought, social action, identity, and power relations. It is one of the four traditional subfields of American anthropology, sharing with cultural anthropology its aims of explaining social and cultural phenomena, with biological anthropology its concern over language origins and evolution, and with archaeology the goal of understanding cultural histories. Linguistic anthropology has developed through international work across social science disciplines, as researchers attend to language as a key to understanding social phenomena. The discipline overlaps most closely with the sociolinguistic subfield of linguistics. But while sociolinguistics generally considers social factors in order to explain linguistic phenomena, linguistic anthropology aims to explain social and cultural phenomena by considering linguistic information. Read more about linguistic anthropology.

Paleontology Research Paper Topics

1. Atapuerca
2. Australopithecines
3. Dryopithecus
4. Fa Hien cave
5. Fossil apes
6. Fossil record
7. Fossils
8. Gigantopithecus
9. Graves
10. Hominid taxonomy
11. Hominoids
12. Homo antecessor
13. Homo erectus
14. Homo ergaster
15. Homo habilis
16. Homo sapiens
17. Human evolution
18. Human paleontology
19. Humans and dinosaurs
20. Issues in hominization
21. Java man
22. Kennewick man
23. Kenyanthropus platyops
24. Kenyapithecus wickeri
25. Lazaret cave
26. Lucy reconstruction models
27. Meganthropus
28. Mungo lady/man
29. Neandertal burials
30. Neandertal evidence
31. Neandertal sites
32. Neandertals
33. Olduvai Gorge
34. Oreopithecus
35. Paleoanthropology
36. Paleoecology
37. Palynology
38. Sahelanthropus tchadensis
39. Shanidar cave
40. Siwalik Hills
41. Taphonomy
42. Xenophanes
43. Zafarraya cave
44. Zinjanthropus boisei
45. Zooarchaeology

To anyone with a rudimentary understanding of paleontology and anthropology, it may not be readily apparent that these disciplines can be in any way related to one another or useful in informing the other’s primary interests. Anthropology, broadly speaking, is concerned with the study of human culture and behavior, with data provided directly by investigations of modern human populations, as well as historical and ethnographic texts and objects. Paleontology, however, is the investigation of the history of fossil flora and fauna and is, as such, allied closely with geological sciences. Read more about paleontology.

Philosophy and Anthropology

1. Altruism
2. Bruno, Giordano
3. Buber,Martin
4. Categorical imperative
5. Comte, Auguste
6. Condorcet,Marguis de
7. Critical realism
8. Deleuze, Gilles
9. Dennett, Daniel C.
10. Derrida, Jacques
11. Dewey, John
12. Empedocles
13. Engels, Friedrich
14. Enlightenment versus postmodernism
15. Enlightenment, age of
16. Entelechy
17. Environmental ethics
18. Environmental philosophy
19. Essentialism
20. Ethics and anthropology
21. Evolutionary epistemology
22. Evolutionary ethics
23. Evolutionary ontology
24. Feuerbach, Ludwig
25. Fromm, Erich
26. Hegel, G.W. F.
27. Heidegger, Martin
28. Henri Bergson
29. Heraclitus
30. Hermeneutics
31. Hobbes, Thomas
32. Human dignity
33. Human excellence
34. Humanism, secular
35. India, philosophies of
36. Integrity, dynamic
37. Kant, Immanuel
38. Kropotkin, Prince Peter A.
39. Lucretius
40. Marx, Karl
41. Marxism
42. Naturalism
43. Neo-Marxism
44. Nietzsche, Friedrich
45. Pantheism
46. Philosophy, dynamic
47. Popper, Karl
48. Positivism
49. Postmodernism
50. Pragmatism
51. Science, philosophy of
52. Spencer, Herbert
53. Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre
54. Teleology
55. Theories
56. Time
57. Unamuno,Miguel de
58. Vernadsky, Vladimir Ivanovich
59. Whitehead, Alfred North
60. Xenophanes

Modern philosophical anthropology originated in the 1920s. During the 1940s it became the representative branch of German philosophy. It arose with, and has absorbed, Lebensphilosophie, existentialism, and phenomenology, although it is not identical with them. It has affinities with pragmatism and the sociology of knowledge. Although it is historically based on certain German traditions, it is also indebted to, and largely anticipated by, the eighteenth-century “science of human nature.” It combines the critical traditions of the Enlightenment with an emphasis on dogmatic certitude. Read more about philosophical anthropology.

Psychology and Anthropology

1. Agression
2. Alienation
3. Altruism
4. Ape agression
5. Ape cognition
6. Ape communication
7. Ape intelligence
8. Ape language
9. Apollonian
10. Artificial intelligence
11. Childhood
12. Civil disobedience
13. Cognitive ethology
14. Cognitive science
15. Collective behavior
16. Confirgurationalism
17. Conflict
18. Consciousness
19. Counseling
20. Crime
21. Criminology and genetics
22. Cross-cultural research
23. Cultural constraints
24. Cultural relativism
25. Culture and personality
26. Culture shock
27. Dementia
28. Deviance
29. Enculturation
30. Ethnocentrism
31. Ethnopsychiatry
32. Eudysphoria
33. Evolutionary ethics
34. Evolutionary psychology
35. Folkways
36. Forensic artists
37. Forensic psychologists
38. Friendships
39. Gangs
40. Human behavioral ecology
41. Human competition and stress
42. Human excellence
43. Incest taboo
44. Intelligence
45. Intelligence and genetics
46. IQ tests
47. Kanzi
48. Koko (lowland gorilla)
49. Modal personality
50. Mores
51. Nationalism
52. Neo-Freudianism
53. Neurotheology
54. Norms
55. Psychic unity of humankind
56. Psychology and genetics
57. Reciprocity
58. Sex identity
59. Sex roles
60. Sexuality
61. Taboos
62. Territoriality
63. Transcultural psychiatry
64. Twin studies
65. Washoe
66. Xenophobia

Constructs like “identity,” “self-representation, ” and “personhood” abound within sociocultural anthropology generally, but such terms are typically applied to culture groups rather than to individuals. More familiar to psychologists would be the concepts and analyses used in the specialty labeled psychological anthropology, which in broadest form explores the relationships between psychological phenomena and their social and cultural contexts. Some of the primary theoretical orientations in psychological anthropology follow more or less closely on traditional perspectives in psychology, but others diverge radically and claim a central and essential place for cultural content and process in trying to account for psychological functioning. Among the former are general behavioral theory (including many standard conceptualizations from developmental and social psychology and personality theory) , cognitive anthropology, evolutionary thought, and psychoanalytic approaches; and among the latter are cultural psychology, the closely related activity theory, and ethnopsychology. Read more about psychology and anthropology.

Physical and Biological Anthropology Research Paper Topics

1. Acheulean culture
2. Altamira cave
3. Anatomy and physiology of speech
4. Anthropometry
5. Ape agression
6. Ape biogeography
7. Ape cognition
8. Ape communication
9. Ape intelligence
10. Aquatic ape hypothesis
11. Arboreal hypothesis
12. Artificial life
13. Atapuerca
14. Aurignacian culture
15. Australopithecines
16. Baboons
17. Biological adaptation
18. Biological anthropology and neo-Darwinism
19. Biomedicine
20. Biometrics
21. Bipedal locomotion
22. Blood groups
23. Bonobos
24. Bonobos in captivity
25. Brachiation
26. Cebids
27. Cercopithecines
28. Chimpanzees
29. Chimpanzees and bonobos
30. Chimpanzees in captivity
31. Colobines
32. Craniometry
33. Dinosaurian hominid
34. Diseases
35. DNA molecule
36. DNA recombinant
37. DNA testing
38. Dryopithecus
39. El Ceren
40. Eugenics
41. Evolution of primate brain
42. Forensic anthropology
43. Fossil apes
44. Gibbons
45. Gigantopithecus
46. Gorillas
47. Gorillas in captivity
48. Graves
49. Greater apes
50. Groooming
51. Hand axes
52. History of anthropology
53. HIV/AIDS
54. Hominid taxonomy
55. Hominization
56. Hominoids
57. Homo antecessor
58. Homo erectus
59. Homo ergaster
60. Homo habilis
61. Homo sapiens
62. Howling monkeys
63. Human brain
64. Human canopy evolution
65. Human diversity
66. Human evolution
67. Human genetics
68. Human Genome Project
69. Human mutants
70. Human osteology
71. Human paleontology
72. Human variation
73. Humans and dinosaurs
74. Hylobates
75. Iceman
76. Java man
77. Kanzi
78. Kennewick man
79. Kenyanthropus platyops
80. Kenyapithecus wickeri
81. Koko (lowland gorilla)
82. Lascaux cave
83. Lazaret cave
84. Lemurs
85. Lesser apes
86. Lorises
87. Lucy reconstruction models
88. Macaques
89. Marmosets
90. Meganthropus
91. Mitochrondrial Eve
92. Mummies and mummification
93. Mungo lady/man
94. Museums
95. Narmada man
96. Neandertal burials
97. Neandertal evidence
98. Neandertal sites
99. Neandertals
100. New World monkeys
101. Ngandong
102. Old World monkeys
103. Oldowan culture
104. Olduvai Gorge
105. Orangutan-human evolution
106. Orangutans
107. Orangutans in captivity
108. Oreopithecus
109. Origin of bipedality
110. Paleoanthropology
111. Pongids
112. Population explosion
113. Primate behavioral ecology
114. Primate brain
115. Primate conservation
116. Primate extinction
117. Primate genetics
118. Primate locomotion
119. Primate morphology and evolution
120. Primate taxonomy
121. Primatology
122. Prosimians
123. Quadrupedalism in primates
124. RNA molecule
125. Sahelanthropus tchadensis
126. Sambungmachan
127. Sangiran
128. Sasquatch
129. Saving chimpanzees
130. Saving gorillas
131. Shanidar cave
132. Siamangs
133. Sickle-cell anemia
134. Siwalik Hills
135. Sociobiology
136. Spider monkeys
137. Tamarins
138. Tarsiers
139. Territoriality in primates
140. Threats to orangutan survival
141. Tools and evolution
142. Treeshrews
143. Twin studies
144. Washoe
145. Yeti
146. Zinjanthropus boisei
147. Zoos

Biological anthropology is concerned with the origin, evolution and diversity of humankind. The field was called physical anthropology until the late twentieth century, reflecting the field’s primary concern with cataloging anatomical differences among human and primate groups. Biological anthropology is one of the four subfields of anthropology, together with archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and social/cultural anthropology. Under the name of biological anthropology, it is an ever-broadening field that encompasses the study of: human biological variation; evolutionary theory; human origins and evolution; early human migration; human ecology; the evolution of human behavior; paleoanthropology; anatomy; locomotion; osteology (the study of skeletal material); dental anthropology; forensics; medical anthropology, including the patterns and history of disease; primatology (the study of non-human primates); growth, development and nutrition; and other related fields. Read more about biological anthropology.

Religion, Theology, and Anthropology

1. Ancestor worship
2. Animatism
3. Animism
4. Anthropology of religion
5. Bayang medicine man
6. Buddhism
7. Comparative religion
8. Confucianism
9. Coptic monasticism
10. Creationism, beliefs in
11. Cults
12. Daoism
13. Death rituals
14. Evil
15. Ghost dance
16. God gene
17. Gods
18. Graves
19. Henotheism
20. Hinduism
21. Humanism
22. India, rituals of
23. Islam
24. Jews
25. Magic
26. Magic versus religion
27. Mana
28. Masks, ceremonial
29. Medicine man
30. Monasticism
31. Muslims
32. Native North American religions
33. Neurotheology
34. Pantheism
35. Pentecostalism
36. Peyote rituals
37. Polytheism
38. Religion
39. Religion and anthropology
40. Religion and environment
41. Religion, liberal
42. Religious rituals
43. Scientism versus fundamentalism
44. Shaman
45. Sorcery
46. Sufi Islam
47. Taboos
48. Taj Mahal
49. Totem poles
50. Totemism
51. Voodoo
52. Witch doctor
53. Witchcraft

The comparative study of religion formed a central building block of anthropology as the discipline emerged in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. In the light of social evolutionary models of human development, religious practice was perceived as providing a powerful index of the mental and moral levels of so-called primitive peoples. James Frazer’s The Golden Bough, first published in 1890, traced magical and religious threads throughout history and weaved them into a pattern depicting the past and future progress of humanity, claiming to discern shifts from magical manipulation toward religious devotion and then ultimately in the direction of purely scientific modes of engaging the world. Inherent in Frazer’s work was also a juxtaposition that has reemerged, albeit in very different form, in contemporary writings (e.g., Cannell, 2006): Christianity as an object of study but also a mode of thought that has itself framed anthropological understandings of religion, temporality, and culture. Read more about anthropology of religion.

Sociology and Anthropology

1. African American thought
2. African Americans
3. African thinkers
4. Alienation
5. Amish
6. Balkans
7. Child abuse
8. Childhood studies
9. Civil disobedience
10. Class societies
11. Collective behavior
12. Communities
13. Complex societies
14. Crime
15. Criminology and genetics
16. Cuba
17. Cultural convergence
18. Culture of poverty
19. Culture shock
20. Deviance
21. Division of labor
22. Egalitarian societies
23. Euthenics
24. Extended family
25. Feminism
26. Folk culture
27. Folk speech
28. Folk speech
29. Folkways
30. Forms of family
31. Friendships
32. Gangs
33. Genocide
34. Gerontology
35. Globalization
36. Gypsies
37. History of city
38. Homosexuality
39. International organizations
40. Israel
41. Labor
42. Marxism
43. Midwifery
44. Nationalism
45. Nuclear family
46. Peasants
47. Population explosion
48. Rank and status
49. Rank societies
50. Secret ocieties
51. Sex identity
52. Sex roles
53. Sexual harassment
54. Sexuality
55. Slavery
56. Social anthropology
57. Social anthropology
58. Social Darwinism
59. Social sturctures
60. Socialist schools in Africa
61. Socialization
62. Sociobiology
63. Sociolinguistics
64. Sociology
65. Sociology of language use
66. Subcultures
67. Untouchables
68. Urban legends
69. Women’s studies
70. Xenophobia

Studies of sociology and anthropology have blended together as cultural anthropologists have attempted to draw comparisons among various societies and cultures. Identifying cultural characteristics became more difficult during the 20th century in response to two world wars. By the beginning of the 21st century, globalization had further blurred the once distinct lines between particular cultures, as the affairs of nations became more intertwined with those of others. Read more about sociology and anthropology.

Research and Theoretical Frameworks in Anthropology

1. Age of Enlightenment
2. Alchemy
3. Alienation
4. Altruism
5. Anthropic principle
6. Anthropocentrism
7. Anthropological models
8. Anthropology and business
9. Anthropology and epistemology
10. Anthropology and sociology
11. Anthropology of men
12. Anthropology of religion
13. Anthropology of women
14. Anthropomorphism
15. Ape biogeography
16. Apollonian
17. Aquatic ape hypothesis
18. Arboreal hypothesis
19. Architectural anthropology
20. Artificial life
21. Aubdivisions of anthropology
22. Beliefs in creationism
23. Big bang theory
24. Cardiff giant hoax
25. Catastrophism
26. Chaos theory
27. Chaos theory and anthropology
28. Characteristics of anthropology
29. Characteristics of culture
30. Cladistics
31. Communism
32. Complexity
33. Computers and humankind
34. Configurationalism
35. Conflict
36. Cosmology and sacred landscapes
37. Creationism versus geology
38. Critical realism
39. Critical realism in ethnology
40. Cross-cultural research
41. Cultural conservation
42. Cultural constraints
43. Cultural ecology
44. Cultural materialism
45. Cultural relativism
46. Cultural survivals
47. Cultural tree of life
48. Culture
49. Culture and pesonality
50. Culture area concept
51. Culture change
52. Cybernetic modeling
53. Cybernetics
54. Darkness in El Dorado controversy
55. Darwinism versus Lamarckism
56. Degenerationism
57. Determinism
58. Dictatorships
59. Diffusionism
60. Dinosaurian hominid
61. Dynamic integrity
62. Education and anthropology
63. Egyptology
64. Emics
65. Enculturation
66. Enlightenment versus postmodernism
67. Entelechy
68. Environmental philosophy
69. Environments
70. Ethnocentrism
71. Ethnogenesis
72. Ethnohistory
73. Ethology and ethnology
74. Etics
75. Evolutionary anthropology
76. Evolutionary epistemology
77. Evolutionary ethics
78. Evolutionary humanism
79. Evolutionary ontology
80. Exobiology and exoevolution
81. Feminism
82. French structuralism
83. Functionalism
84. Future of anthropology
85. Futurology
86. Gaia hypothesis
87. Gemeinschaft
88. Geomythology
89. Gesellschaft
90. Global society
91. Global warming
92. Glottochronology
93. God gene
94. Hardy-Weinberg principle
95. Henotheism
96. Hermeneutics
97. Historicism
98. Hoaxes in anthropology
99. Hominization
100. Human canopy evolution
101. Human dignity
102. Humanistic anthropology
103. Humans and dinosaurs
104. Iceman
105. Ideology
106. Incest taboo
107. Instincts
108. Interpreting evidence
109. Jews and pseudo-anthropology
110. Kulturkreise
111. Legends
112. Lucy reconstruction models
113. Marxism
114. Memes
115. Migrations to the Western Hemisphere
116. Missing link
117. Mitochrondrial Eve
118. Monogenesis versus polygenesis
119. Myths and mythology
120. Nationalism
121. Naturalism
122. Nature
123. Nature and nurture
124. Neo-Darwinism
125. Neo-Freudianism
126. Neo-Marxism
127. Neurotheology
128. Non-Darwinian evolutionary mechanisms
129. Norms
130. Objectivity in ethnography
131. Orangutan-human evolution
132. Origin of bipedality
133. Paluxy footprints
134. Pantheism
135. Participant-observation
136. Philosophical anthropology
137. Philosophy of science
138. Phrenology
139. Physiognomy
140. Positivism
141. Postcolonialism
142. Postmodernism
143. Pragmatism
144. Psychic unity of humankind
145. Reciprocity
146. Religious humanism
147. Research in anthropology
148. Research methods
149. Revitalization movements
150. Role of human mind in nature
151. Sasquatch
152. Scientific method
153. Scientism versus fundamentalism
154. Secular humanism
155. Secularization
156. Social change
157. Social Darwinism
158. Sociobiology
159. Stereotypes
160. Structuralism
161. Superorganic
162. Syncretism
163. Teleology
164. Territoriality
165. Theories
166. Time in anthropology
167. Transformationalism
168. Unifromatarianism
169. Unity of humankind
170. Universals in art
171. Universals in culture
172. Universals in language
173. Values and anthropology
174. Verification in ethnography
175. Wolfian perspective in cultural anthropology
176. Women in anthropology
177. Women’s studies
178. Xenophobia
179. Yeti

Anthropologists usually mean by “theory” a particular theory—a functionalist, structuralist, or socio-ecological theory of social systems, for example. However, while “social facts” have been defined by Durkheim, along with method, and similar ideas used in other sociological theory traditions, the notion of a theory has been treated as something obvious or self-evident. How to test or formulate theories in general has been assumed or passed by, in general, and the ways in which theories explained their subject have been left unspecified. Read more about theory in anthropology.

How to Choose a Research Paper Topic in Anthropology

Anthropology is a multidisciplinary field that covers a wide range of topics, from cultural practices to human evolution and language. As a result, choosing a research paper topic in anthropology can be a challenging task, especially given the breadth of the discipline. However, selecting a good topic is essential to the success of your research paper. In this section, we will provide some guidelines to help you choose a suitable topic.

1. Consider Your Interests and Passions

The first step in choosing a research paper topic in anthropology is to consider your interests and passions. Anthropology covers a broad range of subfields and topics, so it is essential to choose a topic that you are passionate about and interested in. This will make the research process more enjoyable and meaningful for you.

You can start by identifying the general area of anthropology that interests you the most. Do you find cultural practices and beliefs fascinating? Or are you more interested in the biological and physical aspects of human beings? Once you have identified your general area of interest, it’s time to narrow down your topic.

2. Narrow Down Your Topic

To narrow down your topic, consider the specific aspects of the topic that you would like to explore and the research questions that you want to answer. For example, if you are interested in cultural practices and beliefs, you might narrow your topic down to a specific cultural group, a particular practice or belief, or a specific aspect of that practice or belief.

To help you narrow down your topic, ask yourself the following questions:

• What specific aspect of the topic interests me the most?
• What specific research question do I want to answer?
• How can I make my research question more specific and focused?
• What specific population or group do I want to study?

By answering these questions, you can identify a specific topic that is both interesting and feasible.

3. Consult with Your Instructor

Your instructor can offer valuable guidance in selecting a research paper topic in anthropology. They may be able to suggest potential topics or point you in the direction of useful resources. Moreover, your instructor can also help you identify the appropriate subfield of anthropology that aligns with your research interests.

When consulting with your instructor, be sure to ask about any specific guidelines or requirements for the research paper. Some instructors may have specific expectations for the research question or methodology, so it is essential to clarify these requirements before finalizing your topic.

4. Consider Available Resources

Before finalizing your research paper topic, it is important to consider the resources that are available to you. For instance, if you are interested in cultural anthropology, you may need to access primary sources or conduct fieldwork. Conversely, if you are interested in biological anthropology, you may need to access laboratory facilities or collect biological samples.

In addition, consider the availability of relevant scholarly literature and secondary sources. Make sure that you have access to the appropriate journals, books, and articles that you will need to support your research. If you find that the resources you need are limited, consider narrowing down your topic or revising your research question.

5. Look for Research Gaps

Finally, it is essential to choose a topic that has not been extensively studied or that presents a new perspective on a familiar subject. This will make your research paper more original and contribute to the field of anthropology. To identify potential research gaps, review the existing literature and note areas that have not been explored or that present conflicting findings.

Once you have identified the research gap, develop a research question that addresses the gap and proposes a new angle on the topic. Your research question should be specific and focused, and it should guide the entire research process.

Choosing a research paper topic in anthropology can be a daunting task, but it is an essential step in the research process. By considering your interests, consulting with your instructor, evaluating available resources, and identifying research gaps, you can select a suitable topic that is both interesting and feasible. Remember, a good topic is the foundation of a successful research paper.

Once you have selected a suitable research paper topic in anthropology, you can begin to plan your research strategy. The next section of this page will provide guidance on how to write an anthropology research paper, including tips on conducting research, analyzing data, and presenting your findings.

How to Write an Anthropology Research Paper

Writing an anthropology research paper requires careful planning and organization. In this section, we will provide guidance on the general structure and components of an anthropology research paper, as well as offer tips on conducting research, analyzing data, and presenting your findings.

1. General Structure of an Anthropology Research Paper

An anthropology research paper typically follows a standard structure that includes the following components:

• Introduction: Provides an overview of the research question, research methods, and significance of the study
• Literature Review: Summarizes and synthesizes relevant literature on the topic
• Research Methods: Describes the research design, methods, and procedures used to collect and analyze data
• Results: Presents the findings of the study, including statistical analyses and visual representations of the data
• Discussion: Analyzes and interprets the results, evaluates the research question, and discusses the implications of the findings
• Conclusion: Summarizes the main findings and discusses the implications of the study for future research

2. Conducting Research

Before beginning your research paper, it is essential to conduct a thorough review of the relevant literature. This will help you identify gaps in the research and develop a research question that contributes to the field of anthropology.

Once you have developed your research question, you can begin collecting and analyzing data. Depending on your research question and methods, this may involve conducting fieldwork, analyzing existing data sets, or collecting data through surveys or interviews.

When collecting data, it is important to keep detailed notes and maintain careful records of all research activities. This will help you organize your data and ensure the accuracy of your findings.

3. Analyzing Data

Once you have collected your data, it is time to analyze it. This may involve using statistical software, qualitative analysis software, or other tools to examine patterns and relationships in the data.

When analyzing your data, be sure to consider the limitations and potential biases of your methods. For example, if you collected data through surveys, consider the potential biases introduced by self-reporting.

4. Presenting Findings

When presenting your findings, it is essential to be clear and concise. Use visual aids such as tables, graphs, and charts to illustrate your findings and make them more accessible to readers.

Be sure to consider the appropriate format for presenting your data. For example, if you have collected qualitative data, consider using narrative descriptions or quotes to convey your findings.

5. Citation and Referencing

Finally, it is essential to properly cite and reference all sources used in your research paper. This includes citing relevant literature and acknowledging the contributions of collaborators or participants in your study.

Make sure to follow the appropriate citation style for anthropology research papers, such as the American Anthropological Association (AAA) style. This will ensure that your research paper meets the standards of academic integrity and professionalism.

Writing an anthropology research paper requires careful planning, organization, and attention to detail. By following the general structure and components of an anthropology research paper, conducting thorough research, analyzing data carefully, and properly citing and referencing all sources, you can produce a successful research paper that contributes to the field of anthropology.

Anthropology Research Paper Writing Services

If you are struggling to choose a research paper topic in anthropology or need help writing your research paper, iResearchNet offers professional anthropology research paper writing services at affordable prices.

Our team of experienced writers and editors can help you write a custom anthropology research paper on any topic, at any academic level. Whether you need assistance with topic selection, literature review, research methods, data analysis, or writing and editing, our experts can provide high-quality and timely assistance.

Our anthropology research paper writing services are designed to meet the unique needs of each student, and we offer flexible pricing and payment options to ensure that our services are affordable and accessible. We prioritize quality and originality in our work, and we guarantee that all research papers are plagiarism-free and written to the highest academic standards.

If you need help with your anthropology research paper, iResearchNet offers professional writing services and resources to help you succeed. Our team of experts can provide high-quality and customized assistance at affordable prices, ensuring that you can submit a successful research paper that meets the highest academic standards in anthropology.