As has been said earlier, some anthropologists regard anthropology as a branch of history. Human being is born in a natural way, but social life is not the production of nature. Social level is different from biological level.

It is true that human nature is such that human beings have to live in united groups, but human nature does not decide what to eat and how to eat, what dress to put on and how will it be put on, how many times and how to marry or what shall be our viewpoint towards natural powers. In other words, culture of a particular society is not the production of human nature.

The structure of society has no natural order like that of the structure of solar system or atom. Society is a web of social relations supplied by history and united among them by moral values. The forces of nature have no hand in keeping them united. In this way, society is a social and moral order and sociology, which studies it, is a social science.

It is a part of Humanities. Anthropologists have been doing the work of social reformation. It cannot be inferred from this discussion that anthropology has no relation with natural sciences but only this much can be said that anthropology and history are closely related. History and anthropology are both related to human actions. Social anthropology discusses human actions which cause social events.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

History presents a description of these events. Social anthropology studies the origin of civilization and culture and reactions of evolution, etc. On the other hand, history studies particular civilization or culture on the basis of a particular period. In brief, the relation between anthropology and history can be comprehended from the following table:

Anthropology and History

Anthropology

Similarities –

ADVERTISEMENTS:

1. Anthropology studies the past.

2. Anthropology studies ancient things.

History

1. History describes human actions,

ADVERTISEMENTS:

2. Anthropology makes history,

Differences –

1. Anthropology also studies the physical aspects of man along With social aspect.

2. The viewpoint of anthropology is anthropological

ADVERTISEMENTS:

3. Anthropology is mainly related to human culture.

1. History has no interest in the physical aspect of man.

2. The viewpoint of history is historical.

3. History is mainly related to Political events.