How is cultural anthropology different from social anthropology?

Answer 1

The best answer is to look at how the American Anthropology Association defines…...

Sociocultural anthropologists explore how people in different places live and understand the world around them. They want to know what people think is important and the rules they make about how they should interact with one another. Even within one country or society, people may disagree about how they should speak, dress, eat, or treat others. Anthropologists want to listen to all voices and viewpoints in order to understand how societies vary and what they have in common. Sociocultural anthropologists often find that the best way to learn about diverse peoples and cultures is to spend time living among them. They try to understand the perspectives, practices, and social organization of other groups whose values and lifeways may be very different from their own. The knowledge they gain can enrich human understanding on a broader level (retrieved July 19, 2019, from https://www.americananthro.org/AdvanceYourCareer/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=2150&navItemNumber=740).

Therefore, social and cultural Anthropology is the same coin and it depends on what side you are looking at (heads or tails). Reviewing the Dictionary of Anthropology (http://www.anthrobase.com/Dic/eng/index.html) there is no definition for social anthropology. However, if you look at their definition of culture states that social anthropology began in Great Britain in the early 1900s. This sub-field was heavily influenced by noted Europeans such as Durkheim (a sociologist). And, it is Franz Boas (aka. The father of anthropology) that attempted to make clear distinctions between anthropology and sociology. But as this site states the issue remains blurred.

Academically speaking, the discipline is Anthropology and there are four sub-fields; they are socio/cultural, archaeology, biology/physical, linguistics. In recent years two other areas have been included in the discipline of anthropology, they are; medical and applied (practicing/consultants).

I hope this helps.