Historical development of evolutionary theory in anthropology and its linkage with the discipline of history

Abstract

Man, and his culture has been a subject of study right from the days of Herodotus. But, with the establishment of theories of evolution in the field of cultural anthropology marked the theoretical beginning of Anthropology. In order to understand the historical development of Anthropological school of thought, it can be classified into seven categories: Evolutionary School; Diffusional School, Functional School, Structural School, Culture and Personality School, Civilizational School and Neo- anthropological school. This essay is an attempt to present a short survey of Evolutionist theory in anthropology and present its connection with the discipline of History and vice versa.