What kind of anthropology is also known as ethnology?

Cultural anthropology is the kind of anthropology also known as ethnology. It examines how people live, think, organize communities, create traditions, and give meaning to the world around them.

The word ethnology comes from the Greek ethnos, meaning “nation” or “people.” Earlier ethnologists often compared the customs, languages, beliefs, and institutions of different societies, frequently using reports collected by missionaries, traders, and colonial officials. Cultural anthropology developed into a broader, more field-based discipline, especially in the United States.

A common mix-up is confusing ethnology with ethnography. Ethnography usually means the detailed study and written description of one community, often based on long-term participant observation. Ethnology compares information from multiple cultures and looks for patterns, similarities, and differences. In modern academic usage, “cultural anthropology,” “social anthropology,” and “sociocultural anthropology” overlap, although traditions differ by country and university. The field also connects to linguistics, archaeology, and biological anthropology, making anthropology a wider study of humanity than cultural life alone.