Final answer:
Significant post-World War II advancements in anthropology included focusing on public health initiatives with global organizations, challenging ethnocentric views, and the rise of media anthropology as a field studying the impact of mass communication on cultures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Following World War II, a significant development in anthropology was the shift in focus towards public health and contribution to governmental efforts, influenced by students of Franz Boas. This period saw anthropologists becoming actively involved in improving health outcomes, correlating with the founding of the United Nations and the WHO. These initiatives were in line with the inclusion of well-being and healthcare in the declaration of human rights, and a biomedical approach aimed at tackling infectious diseases.
Additionally, the post-war era led to a reexamination and challenging of previous ethnographic work. Native scholars critiqued the ethnocentric biases and called for greater inclusion of indigenous perspectives in anthropology. This introspection was part of a larger trend towards decentralizing European perspectives in cultural studies, recognizing the complexity and variety within African political systems, as highlighted by works such as African Political Systems by Meyer Fortes and E. E. Evans-Pritchard.
Finally, the role of anthropology evolved with an increased interest in studying various forms of modernity across the globe, notably through the lens of mass media. This development marked the rise of a subdiscipline - media anthropology, exploring the diverse ways cultures interact with and are impacted by modern communication tools.