Anthropology Research Topics: 100+ Ideas

Do you want to frame an anthropology research paper that helps you stand out from the crowd? If this is the case, don’t worry because we have you covered. However, before jumping straight to the writing part, the first step is to select a great anthropology research topic.

A majority of students consider this step to be the most daunting. Choosing a topic and researching it can take time and effort. It requires a broad range of skills. However, since it is an academic compulsion, you must recognize it for a short time. Why not give this your most passionate shot once and for all and fully indulge in it once and all?

Don’t be afraid, as we’re here to navigate you through an enticing list of 100+ research topics in anthropology. These topics will help you frame the outstanding research paper you have always wanted. You can choose these topics as they are or tweak them a little according to your unique requirements.

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Working on Anthropology Research Paper Topics

To frame an outstanding research paper on anthropological topics, the first and foremost thing is to think anthropologically. Thinking anthropologically implies suspending their preconceived notions of how the world functions and what constitutes “normal” or “abnormal.” Anthropology urges anthropologists to be “culturally relative” and to comprehend cultural diversity on their terms. Anthropology rejects ethnocentrism and recognizes divergence without placing it in a hierarchy.

When you are writing your anthropology research paper, you need to ensure the following items are on your checklist:

Critically analyze and evaluate cultural norms (both in your own and other cultures).
Conduct comprehensive research on ethnographic data (including data and descriptions of everyday events, oral histories, and significant interviews) to understand significant patterns.
Organize all the ethnographic or other evidence to expound on a phenomenon or event or support a hypothesis or argument.
Evaluate a theoretical viewpoint critically to determine how well it explains cultural occurrences.

100+ Anthropology Research Paper Topics

There are a few subjects that intrigue the majority of students. These are anthropology, psychology, mythology, sociology, and other good ethnography topics.

Drafting a research paper on anthropology comes with a wide spectrum of special subtopics. These subtopics include linguistics, biology, current events, and cultural anthropology topics to choose from. These topics are mentioned below and can help inspire fascinating research and writing about humans and their evolution.

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Biology and Anthropology Topics for Research

Biological anthropologists investigate, document, and explain the evolution of morphological variations among humankind through time in the historical record. They also provide a comparative perspective on the uniqueness of the human race compared to other living primates. It is a very popular subject for students. Thus, if you’re keen to research more about such factors, then consider these biological anthropology topics that will help you get started with a specific mindset for writing:

The history of biological anthropology: understanding the natural history of humankind
A handbook on paleoanthropology: the history of our tribes
Minimizing the risk of maladaptation: a developmental perspective
Understanding the current stage of paleoanthropology in the USSR
Biological anthropology with other allied fields of science
How biological anthropology explains the genesis of human behaviour and social structures
Applying biological anthropology to interpret human evolution
How do the biotech and pharmaceutical industries influence modern medicine?
Biological anthropology and aging

Controversial Anthropology Topics for Research

Writing and researching controversial topics is always the cherry on the cake. You can easily expound on these topics by corroborating a huge spectrum of data and resources. Thus, instead of choosing drudgery research topics in anthropology, give another penny for your thoughts and choose controversial topics. Topic ideas relating to controversial topics are here.

Ancient Egyptian civilization: the culture of life and death
Validation of social anthropology
The ethnographic paradigms
The war on infanticide has a global scope and magnitude.
Cultural construction or anthropology: theory and empirical evidence
The criticism of the European monarchy over western democracy
The relationship between social anthropology and allied disciplines
Hidden voices: Unveiling women in Ancient Egypt
Understanding Italian culture: Greek culture’s influence on Italian languages and culture
The origins and natural history of human morality
Analyzing male aggression against women from an evolutionary perspective
Understanding personality, cognition, and behavioural changes in chimpanzees
Infanticide as an evolutionary strategy: reality or myth?
The myth of man as a natural hunter
Analyzing the dart and the Seville statement on war
The history of Samoan sexual conduct and the Mead-Freeman controversy
Menopause: adaptation or epiphenomenon?
Who owns the past?
The repatriation of anthropology

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Cultural Anthropology Research Topics

Cultural anthropology is the branch of anthropology that studies human societies, patterns, cultures, and developments. Some of the contentious cultural anthropology topics are given below:

Cultural anthropology and linguistics
The evolution of sexism: a critical analysis of past problems and future possibilities
The flourishing of libertarian literary writings
The history of women’s struggles
The cultural anthropology of time: an applied perspective
Cultural anthropology and psychiatry
The development of sociology and social anthropology
Fundamental religious principles govern child forced marriages in northern Nigeria.
The battle of African women for equality
Patriarchy and the representation of women in Asian nations
Green and Roman mythology: a comparative analysis
African traditional beliefs and spirituality in Africa
Cultural violence and the Nigerian woman: a narrative review
The ultimate journey of widow-burning in India
Exploring cultural spaces and technologies in contemporary societies
The biological myth of human evolution: a phylogenetic approach
Erasing culture and race: practising “self-determination.”
The American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World
The 16th and 17th-century philosophy of India
Understanding Mexican culture from a religious point of view
Migration and cultural diversity
The native American ancestry of African-Americans
Muslim women and forced marriages
A theoretical analysis of culture clashes in American anthropology
Anthropology of religion
Christendom’s worlds and Christianity’s future

Physical Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Physical anthropology is the study of human origins, evolution, and diversity. If you’re interested in researching and writing about physical anthropology, then here are some interesting topic suggestions that you can consider:

Genotype-environment correlation study: an overview
The evolution of human beings
Genetic hitchhiking: the controversy and its implications
The altruistic personality: the heritability of individual differences
The cephalization process
Amazonian Anthropology: Henry Walter Bates
Homo sapiens and early human migration
The evolution of human history and the first man
The ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs
The issues and challenges of aging in Asia
Influence of environmental factors on skin tone
Examine five literary works that discuss the stages of drowning and dying.
Evidence of somatic acceleration from recent investigations
The relationship between psychological and physiological constitutions
A review and comparison of dissolution profiles
The advantages and disadvantages of eugenics in the 21st century
Aging across cultures: a comparative analysis
Genetic engineering and medical anthropology: ethics and challenges

Linguistic Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Linguistic anthropology is the branch of anthropology that studies the connection or relationship between languages and cultures. It study how people negotiate, think, compete, and reproduce cultural forms and relations through the medium of languages. If you’re interested in learning more about linguistic anthropology, here are a few suggestions for you:

The anatomy and physiology of speech
Language, Race, and Popular Culture
The relationship between language and culture
Understanding intercultural communication: a current perspective
Linguistics and the politics of representation
Representational barriers and issues in linguistic anthropology
Language and gender: a comprehensive research work
American-African women’s language: talking that talk
Journeys into the past: understanding different language cultures
Language endangerment and language revitalization: an active approach

Forensic Research Topics in Anthropology

Generally speaking, forensic anthropology studies the examination of human remains for law enforcement agencies to solve atrocious crimes. Have a look at some of these great forensic anthropology research topics:

Analyzing the latest perspectives on forensic anthropology
Criminal profiling and computer forensic processes: assumptions, challenges, and probable solutions
Fundamentals of forensic anthropology: current methods and practices
Forensic anthropology and medicine
Forensic anthropology and forensic pathology
A handbook on crime scene investigation
Comparison of soils in forensic anthropology: a detailed study
Reactive oxidants and human diseases
An investigation of the fundamental factors that cause biological alterations in the human body
A study on the recent advancements in forensic science
Criminal profiling: a powerful tool against criminal offences
Current tools and future concepts of forensic anthropology
Common techniques in the study of forensic anthropology
Progress and prospects of DNA testing procedures
Narratives of forensic psychology and criminal personality profiling
Moral issues in forensic anthropology
The workings of forensic anthropology: ethics and professionalism
accuracy of carbon dating technology
Asphyxiation: an autopsy study
Analyzing the methods of determining the time of death

Medical Anthropology Topics for Research

Interested in medical anthropology? If so, look at the below-provided research topics on anthropology.

Exploring medical anthropology
Ethno zoology: applications and principles
A reflection on medical anthropology
Medical anthropology and epidemiology
Medical ethno botany: applied principles and applications
An overview of the spread of the Ebola virus in 2014
Maladaptation: The effects of adaptation to ecological conditions and improper adaptation on health
Mapping the concepts of vulnerability, risk, and responsibility for healthcare and illness
Critical and clinical engagement in anthropology
Ethno medicine modalities in a healing process

The Bottom Line

Each option in the article can help you develop an outstanding research paper in anthropology. Anthropology is indeed a complex subject. Thus, you can also consider some good ethnography topics for your research. You need to conduct extensive research on the different sections of societies and how they have evolved over the past few years. These research paper topics are meant to inspire you and help you score high marks in your academic research programs. You can use these topics as they are or modify them accordingly.

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