 What is anthropology? An introduction. Anthropology is the science of human beings, especially the study of human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character, environmental, and social relations and culture. What does anthropology consist of? Four main subfields including cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology. Cultural anthropology is anthropology that deals with human culture, especially with respect to social structure, language, law, politics, religion, magic, art, and technology. Physical anthropology is anthropology concerned with the comparative study of human evolution, variation, and classification, especially through measurement and observation. Linguistic anthropology is the interdisciplinary study of the role of languages in the social lives of individuals and communities. Archaeology is the scientific study of material remains as fossil relics, artifacts, and monuments of past human life and activities. Origins of anthropology. Franz Boas is widely regarded as father of American anthropology. He was the innovator who came up with the distinctly American four-field approach to anthropology. His contributions to the field have been invaluable and many of the concepts that he taught are still used today in the field.