The main objectives of social anthropology are as follows-
1. To get accurate knowledge regarding human nature.
2. To study the process and results of cultural contact.
First of all, the main objective of social anthropology is to find out the underlying laws of human nature and human relations and to present scientific concrete evidence regarding human nature. The second major objective of social anthropology is to study the results or effects that appear in primitive societies as a result of contact with modern civilized societies. In this way, the purpose of social anthropology is the collection of accurate knowledge regarding the problems arising as a result of cultural contact, so that on the basis of that accumulated knowledge, the administrator and planner can plan their tasks well.
According to a committee of the Royal Anthropological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the main objectives of social anthropology are as follows –
1. To study primitive culture in its present form.
2. Study of cultural contact as a change or specific process.
3. Reconstruction of social history.
4. To find universally attested social rules.
Apart from this, other objectives of social anthropology are mainly as follows-
1. The main goal of social anthropology is to study the customs, traditions, etc. prevalent in ancient and primitive societies. He publishes unknown and secret problems in the form of regular arrangements and reveals them in the form of social principles. Thus, he studies the processes of human behavior in the form of general principles.
2. Apart from this, comparative study of these social processes is also an important objective of social anthropology. It makes a comparative study of early societies.
3. Systematic and analytical study of the people of primitive society is also the third main objective of social anthropology. In this way, by studying the economic, religious and political aspects of the members of primitive society separately, anthropologists try to draw conclusions related to their basic social conditions with the help of methods of various sciences.
4. The ultimate aim of social anthropology is to study cultural influences. How the modern civilization influenced the ancient culture, what were its results – it is also the purpose of social anthropology to know all these.
In the end, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the purpose of social anthropology is to make a comparative study of the life and relations, social systems and institutions of primitive societies, and to describe the behavior of individuals in social situations and to analyze social processes. Through whom human society, culture and civilization remain stable.
The study of social anthropology has been considered very useful and important. This is the reason that after the attainment of independence, the study of social anthropology has started increasing day by day in universities respectively in India. In fact, there are many practical benefits from its study, in which the following are the main ones-
1. According to Dr. M.N. Shrinivas, social anthropology removes racial egoism (Ethnosenrim) by comparative study of various civilized and primitive societies.
2. Social anthropology adopts a scientific approach by removing biases and prejudices towards social problems while studying the social processes in different societies and the comparative study of various phenomena in the same society.
3. According to Raymond Firth, social anthropology aims at a reasoned Comparative analysis of how people behave in social circumstances. That is, social anthropology plays an important role in solving social problems. That is why social anthropology can be of great help in solving the problem of man-woman relationship.
4. Social anthropology in one of the social sciences engaged in the comparative study of human societies.
This comparative study helps in understanding primitive societies and evaluating their institutions, art, literature etc.Therefore, with the help of social anthropology, appropriate solutions to their problems can be extracted according to the paradigm of their culture.
5. Social anthropology helps in removing all kinds of social biases in the society. As a result, the partiality of a person of a civilized society towards primitive society or the partiality of a person of one society towards another society goes away because by their comparative study, there is a clear difference prevailing in institutions, customs, traditions etc. in different cultures. As a result, this creates a dynamic and liberal approach towards family, economic and political institutions. As a result, it also removes the ego related to language.
In short, in the above description of the importance of social anthropology, the importance of its study in modern India becomes clear. Modern India is a welfare state. Therefore, in the context of civilized society as well as the welfare of primitive tribes, the study of social anthropology has proved to be very helpful for the employees working in tribal areas. They will get help and they will be able to solve their problems. Similarly, social anthropology will also help in understanding and solving the social problems of a civilized society. Nowadays social anthropology will help enough to remove the fierce struggle and discrimination that has arisen on the question of language in India and to develop a scientific approach on the question of language.
In short, in conclusion, the study of social anthropology in all spheres of social, cultural, economic, political in present India will provide sufficient help in removing many prejudices and in developing a liberal and scientific approach. Therefore, the study of social anthropology is very important and useful in the present context.