UPSC Essentials Mains Special | Expert Talk: How to prepare Anthropology optional?

Our first optional subject in this series was Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) optional (Click Here). In this article we take up another popular optional among aspirants: Anthropology. Anthropology has consistently emerged as one of the leading choices for a significant number of aspirants. Previous years’ results indicate that this subject has especially attracted students from science and engineering backgrounds. 

However, the popularity of the subject also means a lot of queries among aspirants who embark on the journey of UPSC preparation with a dream to excel and know that their choice of optional paper will play a crucial role in their selection.  

Manas Srivastava in conversation with Mangal Singh, Anthropology expert, takes up some of the aspirants’ questions that range from general to specific areas of the paper. Let’s learn some important aspects of this optional and strategies accordingly.  

About our expert: Mangal Singh has been a teacher and mentor to many successful aspirants in the past, contributing to their achievement in the UPSC examinations. His command over Anthropology and ability to simplify complicated topics have helped many candidates develop a good understanding of Anthropology. His effective subject expertise and years of teaching experience, help us to understand various dimensions of choosing Anthropology optional in our Expert Talk today. 

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the July edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

Manas: Many aspirants have asked us about the criteria for selecting an optional subject. Some of them are freshers while others have already given attempts. What should be the rationale behind choosing any optional subject?

Mangal Singh: Choosing an optional subject for UPSC preparation can be challenging due to the flexibility offered by UPSC, allowing candidates to select a subject they studied in graduation or a different discipline. Many successful candidates have chosen subjects different from their graduation fields. For example, Siddhart Ramkumar (Rank 4, Architecture graduate) and Benjo P Jose (Rank 59, Mathematics graduate) chose Anthropology as their optional.

The rationale behind selecting an optional subject includes:

1. A discipline that has been scoring well in recent years.

2. One that overlaps with General Studies subjects.

3. A graduation discipline.

However, the most crucial factor is the candidate’s interest in the subject, as it helps them remain committed throughout the preparation.

Manas: What are the pros and cons of Anthropology as an optional that you think aspirants must keep in mind before starting their preparation?

Mangal Singh: The UPSC treats all disciplines equally, making it challenging to declare any optional subject as having inherent pros and cons in the eyes of the commission. However, candidates have their own perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages based on their comfort areas.

Pros of Choosing Anthropology:

1. Engaging Content: The subject unfolds like a story, making it interesting to study.

2. Straightforward Questions: The nature of the questions asked in the exam is usually direct.

3. Objectivity: Physical Anthropology provides a certain level of objectivity.

4. Manageable Scope: Paper 2 is relatively smaller compared to other disciplines.

5. Overlap with General Studies: Topics like caste, tribes, culture, marriage, and family overlap with Indian society in General Studies Paper 1, contributing to around 80 marks.

6. Consistent Performance: Anthropology has consistently helped candidates achieve top ranks, often in the Top 10 and Top 100.

Cons (or common misconceptions) about Anthropology:

1. Perceived as Small: The subject is perceived as small, leading students to underestimate it and believe it can be completed in just 3 months. In reality, it requires the same rigor as any other UPSC optional.

2. Scattered Material: There is an abundance of scattered study material, which can confuse aspirants rather than provide clarity.

3. Misuse of Toppers’ Notes: Students often start with notes and books written by toppers in a Q&A format. Without a basic understanding of the topics, jumping directly into these resources can be overwhelming. It is crucial to first study standard books for conceptual clarity before using toppers’ notes as reference material. Aspirants need to understand that toppers invest significant time in reading and understanding standard resources before consolidating their knowledge into notes and Q&A books.

The pros and cons are redundant if a candidate has a genuine interest in the subject, follows the right approach, and receives proper guidance to score well in the optional subject.

Manas: We know that knowing the syllabus well is a prerequisite to exam preparation. What does the syllabus tell us about Anthropology optional?

Mangal Singh: The syllabus involves almost all aspects of Anthropology in paper 1, while India Specific topics are of anthropological significance to understand the nature of Indian Society with topics like – Caste System, Tribes, concepts to study Indian Culture and civilisation.

Anthropology is defined as a discipline of infinite curiosity about human beings, deriving from the Greek words “Anthropos” (man, human) and “logos” (study).

It has following major fields

1. Biological

2. Archaeological

3. Social–Cultural Anthropology

Biological Anthropology Seeks to answer basic questions:

1. Who are we as a species?

2. What does it mean to be human?

3. Where did we come from?

Key Aspects:

1. Studies human biological evolution and variation, including both living humans and extinct species.

2. Examines biology within the context of culture and behavior.

3. Example: Bipedalism and opposable thumbs allowed humans to make tools, impacting material culture and environmental interactions.

4. Studies fossils of humans and related animals, and the behavior and evolution of primates like prosimians, monkeys, and apes.

Archaeology focuses on:

1. Study of past cultures through material remains.

2. Reconstructing daily life, customs, and cultural changes.

3. Example: Analyzing stone tools to understand Paleolithic hunting practices and cooperation.

Stages of Human Culture:

1. Paleolithic

2. Mesolithic

3. Neolithic

4. Chalcolithic

5. Bronze Age

6. Iron Age

Social Cultural Anthropology Studies:

1. Human society and culture–focuses on learned behavior and material objects.

2. Uses ethnography to describe societies or cultural practices.

3. Focus Areas: Marriage, family, kinship, political and economic systems.

4. Cross-cultural comparisons to find universal and diverse practices.

5. Emphasis on preliterate, simple societies vs. modern industrial societies.

What makes Anthropology Unique?

Key Attribute:

1. Breaks stereotypes and prejudices, promoting a cultural relativist point of view over ethnocentrism.

2. Ethnocentrism: Judging other cultures by one’s own cultural standards, often leading to notions of superiority.

3. Cultural Relativism: Analysing cultures based on their own histories and values.

Holistic Approach:

1. Combines the study of human biology, history, and culture to understand human behavior.

Goal: Foster an informed understanding of different cultures to address issues like racism, casteism, fundamentalism, and ethnic hatred.

Manas: Freshers to UPSC often ask: How to start with Anthropology optional preparation? If one has never studied anthropology what are the beginner’s tips?

Mangal Singh: The primary issue with Anthropology is its limited availability at the undergraduate level in many universities. At the school level, only Kerala includes it in the 11th and 12th grades. CBSE does not offer a course in Anthropology, and there are no NCERT books for it, unlike other disciplines.

Recommendations for Beginners:

1. Kerala State SCERT Books: These books provide a lucid explanation of the basics and cover almost all aspects of the UPSC syllabus.

2. “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari: This book can help develop an interest in the subject.

3. Ember and Ember Textbook: A standard textbook used by many UPSC aspirants. However, it is recommended to first read the Kerala SCERT books before using this textbook.

Manas: After analysing the past years’ questions, what has been the trend in marks and questions in Anthropology optional?

Mangal Singh: Over the last 10 years, Anthropology has consistently helped candidates achieve high ranks in the UPSC exams, with many scoring more than 300 marks. For example, this year Siddhart Ramkumar secured Rank 4 with 326 marks, and Benjo P Jose secured Rank 59 with 303 marks.

Key Points:

1. Consistent High Scores: Many candidates in the Top 100 have scored around or above 300 marks in Anthropology.

2. Nature of Questions: The questions in the exam have remained largely consistent, with only a few variations.

3. Preparation Strategy: Success in Anthropology requires a thorough understanding of the topics. Relying solely on ready-made answers can be problematic. Candidates should prepare Previous Year Questions (PYQs) themselves to ensure a deep understanding of the subject.

Manas: As we know UPSC Mains is not just about knowledge but also presentation and other skills. What are some tips for writing a ‘good’ answer in Anthropology? (relevance of diagrams etc.)

Mangal Singh: Writing a good answer requires a mix of these aspects –

1. Thorough understanding of the topic.

2. Using the works of anthropologists to substantiate the arguments.

3. Writing standard case studies from the works of anthropologists like Malinowski and his work on Trobriand islanders focussing upon economic aspects like – Kula ring, their conceptions of Magic and religion etc.

4. Diagrams are very useful and there are pretty standard diagrams in every topic both Physical and Socio-cultural anthropology.

5. However the most important aspect of answer writing is that the answer should be in line with the requirement of the question. At the same time the expression should be succinct and coherent and various points mentioned should have a flow.

UPSC Essentials’ Subscribers/Readers Questions:

(a) How much time does it take to prepare Anthropology optional?

A thorough understanding of the subject requires 6-8 months along with the answer writing focussing on PYQs.

(b) What are the essential reading sources other than coaching material that aspirants must read?

The resources that can be referred to are

Standard Textbooks:

• Ember & Ember
• Nadeem Hasnain: Books on Anthropology
• Alabama University notes: For Theories
• DK Bhattacharya: For Archaeology

Additional Study Materials:

• IGNOU Notes
• ePG Pathshala Notes and Videos

(c) Can you provide some strategies for revision?

For effective revision, your initial preparation should be up to the mark. In this phase, you should thoroughly understand the topics and should also prepare notes based on the PYQs. These Notes should then be revised and Test series should be attempted to simulate the exam experience of being able to write in the 3 hours in limited space.

(d) How to approach 1st Paper? Which are the areas one must focus on?

One needs to understand that, he/she cannot skip topics by focusing only on the so-called important ones. However, certain topics form the base for understanding the subsequent topics.

1. Physical anthropology seeks to answer the questions like – Who we are as a species? And how we became the biological humans that we are? As such the Theory of Evolution Becomes the base of understanding almost all topics in Physical Anthropology.

2. Similarly in Social – Cultural Anthropology– Anthropological Theories form the basis of understanding various other topics.

(e) How to approach the 2nd Paper? Which are the areas one must focus on?

In Paper 2 the main focus areas are – The caste system, the Jajmani system, the Indian Village, processes of Social Change and Tribal Anthropology which are the key areas to focus upon.

Manas: Finally, what are some final mantras of how to have an edge in the Anthropology optional paper?

Mangal Singh: The final Mantra is that the optional subject is a very interesting subject which if studied with the right perspective and without any preconceived notions can be one of the best subjects to choose as an optional in the UPSC. One should not look for shortcuts, since the requirement of the exam is to do a detailed study of all the topics.

P.S: This is not the end of the Anthropology Optional special article. You may still send questions on PSIR optional in general or any topic in particular. We will take up as a rejoinder article on PSIR. Write to me on manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.

Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us now on Instagram and X too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RziHTJ1-4jI?si=WhQeZCcMggSy_WuT&w=560&h=315