Anthropology Practice Test 2026 – The Comprehensive All-in-One Guide for Exam Success

Dr. Ann Dunham, President Barack Obama's mother, was primarily a cultural and applied anthropologist. This designation reflects her focus on understanding cultural practices, social structures, and the ways in which people adapt to their environments through economic and social activities. Her work involved not only theoretical contributions to the field of anthropology but also practical applications to understand and address real-world issues, particularly in regions such as Indonesia where she conducted significant field research.

By being a cultural and applied anthropologist, Dr. Dunham contributed to the understanding of how culture informs economic and social behavior, demonstrating how anthropological knowledge can be utilized to improve people's lives and communities. This distinction is crucial since it differentiates her work from biological anthropology, which primarily investigates human biological diversity and evolution, or medical anthropology, which focuses on health and illness in their cultural contexts, emphasizing clinical and practical health care implications. Thus, her contributions primarily align with the goals of cultural anthropology and its application in real-world scenarios.