Looking within and beyond the Conventional Windows of ‘Anthropometry’: An Anthropological Journey

Anthropometry is a complex of comparative methods which measure and compare humans and humankind in totality. It attempts to gauge humans within species primarily and with other animal species generally. From macro units as measuring rod, that is, anthropometer to nano units as the scale of electron microscope if used in measuring and comparing humans, are of its content in a biological perspective. However, humans cannot only be determined completely in this perspective. Socio-cultural and ethological devices, are either qualitative or quantitative and cannot be separated from comparing humans, may it be human community or its close animal species. Thus, anthropometry provides basic methods of knowing and comparing in all human sciences since the inception of humanity and hence there is a need to reconsider it in its holistic perspectives. Although it is misunderstood, its natural force and gravity is estimated with malevolent intensions during 19^th and 20^th centuries onward. During this phase biological and other social sciences excelled. Their devices dictated their own terms and conditions in anthropological researches too. Such kind of spark made physical anthropologists particularly a blind follower of these trends. They imitated a lot from these streams. In consequence, they are looked upon as helpless notwithstanding the theory of discrimination, which can be broadly based in terms of available instruments. It is also partly caused due to the paucity of the theory in physical anthropology. Thus, anthropometry looks like a key to provide the data of several varieties by which humans can be compared through the packages of multivariate analysis.