Central Topics in Contemporary Educational Anthropology

Abstract

A brief history of educational anthropology as a scientific discipline —compared to other areas of anthropology— reveals a list of appropriate contents for teacher training. The adoption of diverse methodologies focuses scientific attention on equally diverse dimensions of the purpose of educational anthropology. The key categories in the study are educability and culture. Educational anthropology with an empirical method centers on the subject of culture. Educational anthropology with a philosophical method centers on educability. In terms of training teachers, this article proposes the option of edu­ cational anthropology with a philosophical method that includes both educability and culture, making use of the results of empirical research. This integrating approach enables the educator to know how education and culture stand apart and relate to one another in the growth and development of those who play a leading role in the educational process. Other notions, such as nature and person, are required for an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of education from the standpoint of anthropology.