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I gave my second mains with Anthropology in 2015. I didn't qualify but I believe I performed well in the optional and willing to share my experience and book-list. I also plan to share my mark-sheet and Anthro marks once its out, and make a realistic assessment. Also, its been a few months since I opened my books so please don't assume that my information is complete. I will share my inputs to the best of my memory for Anthropology 1.
Anthro1 Booklist
- Ember and Ember - for a general view, P.Nath - for Physical portion. Ember has explained the fundamentals of human evolution really well, It will make concepts v clear. P.Nath takes some patience and is technical sort but its a complete book on most of the topics. Genetics part, THeories of evolution explained very well. Many people say BM Das but I feel P.Nath is a complete book with lot of clarity and good examples. BM Das for some diagrams and topics like Race Crossing, racial characteristics in India etc. Have conceptual clarity in Physical Anthro part. Then it all appears inter-linked and lucid.
- Anthro Theories- University of Alabama for post-modernism , new ethnography , cultural materialism etc+ Gaya and Pandey. But I found the latter too detailed and it wasted my time in my first attempt. If you want to read it, supplement with Makhan Jha and Vaid sir's book. These books simplify theories and sociology concepts and hence are more practical and useful. Analysis of theories is much more imp than description and needless details. The language is complicated but the idea per se is very simple in these theories.
- Social Anthropology. - Makhan Jha , plus Majumdar and Madan. Totemism, Religion , Tribal law , Descent etc is explained in a crisp and brilliant manner in the latter . But still you need books like Jha's .Look for examples of tribes while explaining concepts.
- Any good coaching material for sense of completion of topics. I used Brain Tree's and it was exhaustive.
- Keep reading the syllabus and cover the key terms which may be hidden somewhere in the books- just for instance, Race Crossing was asked in 2012 but no book except BM Das explicitly mentions it. The term is in the syllabus. Similarly, be well versed with Forensic Anthro even if its asked less., Action Anthropology, Doll's rule blah blah. THe idea is to not leave a single keyword in syllabus untouched
-Practice Answer writing daily after prelims esp last 4 years questions. Include diagrams. Read the question properly. Revise v well on last day.
- Many toppers of Anthropology have shared their strategy. Do incorporate their inputs.
-The Archaeological Anthro part does get tedious - link the timelines, the tools, the hominids, the sites well. Ember and Ember is again a good start in this direction. And do learn it all. If you link well, its not hard to memorize. But revise it again and again.
- Form a concept map in mind, interlinking many concepts. Climate Change-> movement of ancestors to grasslands-> further helped in bipedalism-> fruits and seed eating also helped in increasing memory-> brain development-> tools->manipulation of environment and organization of society, culture etc. Obviously its not so straight forward at all, there are many factors each influencing the other..cause-effect may reinforce one another. But link and think a bit.
- PS: I simply felt like sharing my points after having done sincere prep.Syllabus is short , subject is simple but its quite varied. Finish it before prelims so that you can improve answers. Good luck
I gave my second mains with Anthropology in 2015. I didn't qualify but I believe I performed well in the optional and willing to share my experience and book-list. I also plan to share my mark-sheet and Anthro marks once its out, and make a realistic assessment. Also, its been a few months since I opened my books so please don't assume that my information is complete. I will share my inputs to the best of my memory for Anthropology 1.
Anthro1 Booklist
- Ember and Ember - for a general view, P.Nath - for Physical portion. Ember has explained the fundamentals of human evolution really well, It will make concepts v clear. P.Nath takes some patience and is technical sort but its a complete book on most of the topics. Genetics part, THeories of evolution explained very well. Many people say BM Das but I feel P.Nath is a complete book with lot of clarity and good examples. BM Das for some diagrams and topics like Race Crossing, racial characteristics in India etc. Have conceptual clarity in Physical Anthro part. Then it all appears inter-linked and lucid.
- Anthro Theories- University of Alabama for post-modernism , new ethnography , cultural materialism etc+ Gaya and Pandey. But I found the latter too detailed and it wasted my time in my first attempt. If you want to read it, supplement with Makhan Jha and Vaid sir's book. These books simplify theories and sociology concepts and hence are more practical and useful. Analysis of theories is much more imp than description and needless details. The language is complicated but the idea per se is very simple in these theories.
- Social Anthropology. - Makhan Jha , plus Majumdar and Madan. Totemism, Religion , Tribal law , Descent etc is explained in a crisp and brilliant manner in the latter . But still you need books like Jha's .Look for examples of tribes while explaining concepts.
- Any good coaching material for sense of completion of topics. I used Brain Tree's and it was exhaustive.
- Keep reading the syllabus and cover the key terms which may be hidden somewhere in the books- just for instance, Race Crossing was asked in 2012 but no book except BM Das explicitly mentions it. The term is in the syllabus. Similarly, be well versed with Forensic Anthro even if its asked less., Action Anthropology, Doll's rule blah blah. THe idea is to not leave a single keyword in syllabus untouched
-Practice Answer writing daily after prelims esp last 4 years questions. Include diagrams. Read the question properly. Revise v well on last day.
- Many toppers of Anthropology have shared their strategy. Do incorporate their inputs.
-The Archaeological Anthro part does get tedious - link the timelines, the tools, the hominids, the sites well. Ember and Ember is again a good start in this direction. And do learn it all. If you link well, its not hard to memorize. But revise it again and again.
- Form a concept map in mind, interlinking many concepts. Climate Change-> movement of ancestors to grasslands-> further helped in bipedalism-> fruits and seed eating also helped in increasing memory-> brain development-> tools->manipulation of environment and organization of society, culture etc. Obviously its not so straight forward at all, there are many factors each influencing the other..cause-effect may reinforce one another. But link and think a bit.
- PS: I simply felt like sharing my points after having done sincere prep.Syllabus is short , subject is simple but its quite varied. Finish it before prelims so that you can improve answers. Good luck
u seem confused ma'am.. brain development never lead to tools... tool-brain worked in feedback system.. and bipedalism which u explained in so linear manner change from arboreal to grassland lead to bipedalism.. this is too simplistic and reductionist approach.. will frustrate the examiner.. drawing diagrams is not enough.. one should make some sense while writing..
and yes it was 'power' grip and 'precision' grip and change of clavicle structure.. that permitted tool making.. not the expansion of brain,,
things are not as simple as people think and then land up getting 230s and say this optional or that optional is bad..
even scholars disagree on what lead to bipedalism... this is not GS.. if u are writing like this don't expect over 230 in optional.. forget good performance.. this is the easier portion of anthro.. i don't knw what people write in theories and social anthro.. that is the real part..
if UPSC starts asking questions like social organization and social structure, the processualist versus formal action approach on social structure.. i don't know what people will be writing.. if such simple topics also not clear..
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Comments
Anthro1 Booklist
- Ember and Ember - for a general view, P.Nath - for Physical portion. Ember has explained the fundamentals of human evolution really well, It will make concepts v clear.
P.Nath takes some patience and is technical sort but its a complete book on most of the topics. Genetics part, THeories of evolution explained very well. Many people say BM Das but I feel P.Nath is a complete book with lot of clarity and good examples. BM Das for some diagrams and topics like Race Crossing, racial characteristics in India etc. Have conceptual clarity in Physical Anthro part. Then it all appears inter-linked and lucid.
- Anthro Theories- University of Alabama for post-modernism , new ethnography , cultural materialism etc+ Gaya and Pandey. But I found the latter too detailed and it wasted my time in my first attempt. If you want to read it, supplement with Makhan Jha and Vaid sir's book. These books simplify theories and sociology concepts and hence are more practical and useful. Analysis of theories is much more imp than description and needless details. The language is complicated but the idea per se is very simple in these theories.
- Social Anthropology. - Makhan Jha , plus Majumdar and Madan. Totemism, Religion , Tribal law , Descent etc is explained in a crisp and brilliant manner in the latter . But still you need books like Jha's .Look for examples of tribes while explaining concepts.
- Any good coaching material for sense of completion of topics. I used Brain Tree's and it was exhaustive.
- Keep reading the syllabus and cover the key terms which may be hidden somewhere in the books- just for instance, Race Crossing was asked in 2012 but no book except BM Das explicitly mentions it. The term is in the syllabus. Similarly, be well versed with Forensic Anthro even if its asked less., Action Anthropology, Doll's rule blah blah. THe idea is to not leave a single keyword in syllabus untouched
-Practice Answer writing daily after prelims esp last 4 years questions. Include diagrams. Read the question properly. Revise v well on last day.
- Many toppers of Anthropology have shared their strategy. Do incorporate their inputs.
-The Archaeological Anthro part does get tedious - link the timelines, the tools, the hominids, the sites well. Ember and Ember is again a good start in this direction. And do learn it all. If you link well, its not hard to memorize. But revise it again and again.
- Form a concept map in mind, interlinking many concepts. Climate Change-> movement of ancestors to grasslands-> further helped in bipedalism-> fruits and seed eating also helped in increasing memory-> brain development-> tools->manipulation of environment and organization of society, culture etc. Obviously its not so straight forward at all, there are many factors each influencing the other..cause-effect may reinforce one another. But link and think a bit.
- PS: I simply felt like sharing my points after having done sincere prep.Syllabus is short , subject is simple but its quite varied. Finish it before prelims so that you can improve answers. Good luck
and yes it was 'power' grip and 'precision' grip and change of clavicle structure.. that permitted tool making.. not the expansion of brain,,
things are not as simple as people think and then land up getting 230s and say this optional or that optional is bad..