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How is anthropology different from sociology?

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Svante Paabo stands smiling with one hand on a Neanderthal skeleton model in front of a blue Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology banner. — Anthropology Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology director Svante Pӓӓbo posing with a model of a Neanderthal skeleton.

Anthropology and sociology are both social sciences that study human behavior, but they differ in their scope and historical focus.

Anthropology is defined as the "science of humanity," encompassing a broader range of study that includes archaeology, physical anthropology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology. It examines humans from their biological and evolutionary origins to the cultural features that distinguish them as a species. Anthropologists often utilize ethnography, requiring long-term immersion in the daily life of a group.123

Sociology focuses specifically on human societies, social interactions, and the institutions that preserve or change them. While sociology is a generalizing science, its distinguishing feature is the practice of analyzing the larger societal context—such as institutions, communities, and social movements—to explain human behavior.1

Historically, the two fields were closely linked, with anthropology traditionally focusing on preliterate societies while sociology studied modern cultures. Today, these distinctions have largely faded as social anthropologists increasingly study modern societies, though anthropology remains uniquely broad in its inclusion of biological and archaeological perspectives.12