"Some Issues in the History and Theory of Anthropology"

Anthropology is a social science that originated in the 19th century and continues to exist with various aspects.nameThey differ in different countries. In other words, anthropologists around the world are working within the framework of these frameworks.namedifferent or in thetraditionalDifferent branches of science that study human beings.

Despite belonging to different traditions, anthropologists share a unique system of research methods characteristic of the discipline, namely theethnographic fieldwork method, to collect theethnographic documentsregarding various aspects of human beings and human society. Another important common point of the field of study istheoryAnthropologists from different traditions participated in building and producing a rich theoretical system.

In anthropological research, ethnographic data and theory ultimately intertwine in a single study. Without theory, ethnographic data collected by anthropologists in the field would be merely a collection of descriptive and analytical information about cultural, social, ethnic, and human nature phenomena. Thus, theory not only helps anthropologists define research objectives, formulate research questions, collect ethnographic data in the field, and guide the analysis and presentation of that data, but more importantly, through the application of theory, anthropologists participate in discussions of major, fundamental issues of the discipline concerning humanity and human culture and society.

With their profound theoretical and empirical characteristics, over the past century, anthropological traditions in various countries have produced a particularly rich system of theories. By placing anthropological theories within their specific historical and contemporary contexts, researchers will better understand the fact that anthropological theory is inseparable from the social conditions of the era in which it was produced, and that the emergence of new anthropological theories is often an expression, development, or rejection of existing ones. To paraphrase Alan Barnard, anthropological theories do not disappear when criticized; instead, they are crystallized into new theories or reappear in later generations in a different form. Therefore, existing theoretical perspectives need to be studied, as later generations of anthropologists position themselves in relation to their predecessors by supporting, criticizing, or transforming their concepts and theories into their own.

However, in Vietnam, the issue of theoretical schools within anthropological traditions worldwide remains a gap that needs to be filled in various ways. While anthropologists supplement and update original documents, translating some materials from foreign languages ​​into Vietnamese is essential, making a significant contribution to the system of learning materials and reference documents on the history and theory of anthropology.

For this reason, the Department of Anthropology (Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) has translated several documents from English into Vietnamese. This book is a collection of 17 articles with content suitable for updating knowledge on the history and theory of anthropology. The works are structured according to three main sections: (i) anthropological traditions; (ii) theoretical concepts and the construction of anthropological theories; and (iii) schools of anthropological theory. While not a complete collection on this subject, the book will certainly help readers understand more about anthropology, its history, and schools of anthropological theory in Vietnam and around the world.