Discussion: First Impressions of Anthropology
Prompt
Search online for interesting article that relates to anthropology and include the title of the link,
its URL, and why you chose it. Explain in a few sentences how the article ties to anthropology
and why it resonated with you.
Hello everyone,
The article I have chosen is from The Conversation and titled “How Thinking About Murderers
as Hunters Could Help the Police” by author Jessica Leigh Thornton. Considering I am pursuing
a degree in criminal justice, this title immediately drew me in to find out what the contents of the
article contained.
Within the article, Thornton goes into detail on how investigators can characterize specified
forms of evidence at crime scenes can be applied to determine “the kind of person who is
capable of committing it. The information includes potential criminal history, age ranges, marital
status and other important details about potential suspects.” (Thornton, 2018) The data is then
compared against related cases. As defined by our text, anthropology is “the study of human
beings, their biology, their prehistory and histories, and their changing languages, cultures, and
social institutions.” (Welsch et al., p. 4) Using this definition, this article ties in with
anthropology by reason of, the purpose of the developing exploration is to establish whether
contrasting conventional and cultural methods of hunting can be practiced anthropologically as
an allocation grid for offenders. As a result of implementing the act of hunting as a manner of
illustrating a murder, this would then distinguish the murderer as a distinct class of hunter. For
example, they could be categorized as a tracker, scouter, or a camouflager. Therefore, crime
scenes are comprised of indications that can be profiled to see if “these acts may leave behind
clues relating to why the scene looks the way it does, why a specific victim may have been
chosen, and whether there was fantasy involvement in how they proceeded with the act. All of
this allows for anthropological insights to the crime.” (Thornton, 2018)
References
Thornton, J. L. (n.d.).9How thinking about murderers as hunters could help the police. The
Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-thinking-about-murderers-as-hunters-
could-help-the-police-90863
Welsch, R. L., Vivanco, L. A., & Fuentes, A. (2019).9Anthropology, 2nd Edition9[Review
of9Anthropology, 2nd Edition]. Oxford University
Press.9https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/978019057381
“To be effective at establishing strong social and political bonds in spite of human differences
has always required people have a practical understanding of human variation.” (p. 3).
“Anthropology is the study of human beings, their biology, their prehistory and histories, and
their changing languages, cultures, and social institutions.” (p.4).
“Anthropology provides a framework for asking questions about and grasping the complexity of
human experience, both past and present. Anthropology is about where humans have been, but it
also provides knowledge that helps solve human problems today.”
