The British School of Anthropology
The British School of Anthropology emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a distinct approach within the discipline, focusing largely on social institutions, kinship, and the functional aspects of culture. Unlike the American school, which emphasized cultural particularism, British anthropologists were more concerned with the comparative study of societies to uncover general principles governing human behavior.
A defining feature of the British school was its strong interest in social structure. Thinkers like A.R. Radcliffe-Brown and Bronislaw Malinowski shaped its direction. Malinowski, through his pioneering fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands, highlighted the importance of participant observation and introduced functionalism, which viewed cultural practices as serving individual needs. Radcliffe-Brown, on the other hand, developed structural-functionalism, emphasizing how institutions like kinship, religion, and law contributed to the maintenance of social order.
The British school also placed great importance on fieldwork. Long-term immersion in communities became a hallmark of anthropological research, setting standards for methodology that remain influential today. Their studies particularly centered on small-scale, non-industrial societies, often in colonial contexts, which also drew criticism for being entangled with imperial interests.
Overall, the British school of anthropology laid crucial foundations for social anthropology by focusing on kinship, institutions, and functional explanations of cultural practices. Its emphasis on rigorous fieldwork and systematic analysis continues to shape anthropological inquiry globally.
