Anat Biol Anthropol.  2024 Sep;37(3):125-131. 10.11637/aba.2024.37.3.125.

A Review of the Sub-disciplines and Their Changes in Physical Anthropology in Korea

• Woo EJ
• Kim MS
• Lee D
• Seo MW

• KMID: 2562487
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11637/aba.2024.37.3.125

Abstract

Physical anthropology initially focused on the analysis of ethnic origins and morphological characteristic. However, since the mid-20 th century, it has transformed into an interdisciplinary field that comprehensively explores the biological attributes of human and it is widely known as biological anthropology. This research aims to understand the current state of physical anthropology in Korea by examining the journals published by the Korean Association of Physical Anthropologists. Additionally, in order to explore the future directions for physical anthropology in Korea, this study also conducted a comparative review of articles published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology. As a result, it was found that a significant majority of the articles in domestic journals were focused on the field of anatomy. Meanwhile, research categorized under biological anthropology accounted for only about 10% of the total. In contrast, research in American journal cover a wide range of sub-disciplines within biological anthropology, including primatology, paleoanthropology, skeletal biology, bioarchaeology, human biology, and genetics. The predominance of research in the field of anatomy in domestic journals is closely related to the history of physical anthropology in Korea, which began primarily within departments of anatomy. However, recently there has been a steady increase in the proportion of forensic anthropology, along with a slight rise in the number of researchers in the field of bioarchaeology. This indicates a shift towards greater diversity in the topics of biological anthropology of Korea. It is hoped that these changes will continue, leading to the development of Korean physical anthropology as a comprehensive field that addresses the biological attributes of human, integrating research from a wider range of disciplines.

Keyword

Physical Anthropology; Biological Anthropology; Anatomy; Korean Association of Physical Anthropologists; American Journal of Biological Anthropology