World Anthropology Day Date in the current year: February 15, 2024

Anthropology is a discipline that focuses on the scientific study of humanity. It stands at the intersection of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences because anthropology involves multiple areas of study including human biology, human behavior, linguistics, cultures, and societies.

Anthropology is a relatively new discipline. While some works written by ancient Greek, ancient Roman and medieval scholars may be regarded as near-anthropological or proto-anthropological, modern anthropology began to emerge during the Age of Enlightenment. One of the first major anthropological treatises, Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View, was penned by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant and published in 1798.

Modern anthropology is divided into multiple branches and sub-disciplines depending on the area of study and application. They include social anthropology, cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, biological (physical) anthropology, economic anthropology, applied anthropology, medical anthropology, political anthropology, archaeological anthropology, legal anthropology, ecological anthropology, digital anthropology, urban anthropology, anthropology of religion, and many more.

Social anthropology and cultural anthropology are sometimes grouped together under the umbrella term sociocultural anthropology. Archaeological anthropology, or simply archaeology, is considered a branch of anthropology in North America and Asia, while in Europe it is regarded as a separate discipline or classified as part of history, paleontology, or geography.

World Anthropology Day was established in 2015 by the American Anthropological Association (AAA), a US-based organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. Originally named National Anthropology Day, the holiday went international the following year because the AAA felt that anthropology was important for the entire world and not just for one country.

To celebrate World Anthropology Day, the AAA and other anthropological organizations from around the globe, as well as schools, universities, museums and other stakeholders, organize public lectures, seminars and webinars, discussions, talks, meetings with renowned anthropologists, workshops, presentations, open houses, and other events and activities to educate a wide audience about anthropology and its importance.

You can observe World Anthropology Day by participating in an event near you or joining a virtual event, learning more about anthropology on your own, reading a book or watching a documentary about famous anthropologists, congratulating the anthropologists you know, and posting about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #WorldAnthropologyDay, #AnthropologyDay and #AnthroDay.