Cultural Anthropology – Ethnography vs Ethnology

Cultural anthropology is the scientific study of cultures and how they are different or similar from each other all around the world.  To gain a better understanding of what cultural anthropology is, one must understand ethnography and ethnology.

• Ethnography
  • Direct fieldwork that leads to a description of a modern culture
  • Descriptive
  • Single views of culture or subculture
• Ethnology
  • Study of cultures and how they differ from each other or how they are similar to each other or both.
  • Always comparative in nature
  • General views across cultures and subcultures
  • Will use the direct fieldwork information/data of ethnographers