The purpose of this article is to define, through discussion and example, the notion of an "anthropological approach" to science education research, as well as to advocate the potential contribution of such an approach to several research domains and to questions of access and equity. This paper reviews a variety of research articles that address, in various ways and degrees, epistemological, pedagogical and methodological explorations that might be termed "anthropological." One purpose of this review is to connect a large body of research focused on culture and science, to tease out the elements that might define this research as "anthropological," and to explore a few of the issues that this research challenges and illuminates. A second and equally important purpose is to showcase culturally oriented research as an approach that can be used to forward equity in science education research, and through celebrating multiple perspectives, to challenge the hegemonic role that Western science plays in a rapidly globalizing world. The research reviewed in this article has implications that go beyond the improvement of science teaching and learning in classrooms. An anthropological approach to science education illustrates the deep commitment of many contemporary researchers to transforming science into a tool that can give agency to all people, including those who are indigenous or disenfranchised, and that can enable them both to preserve their funds of knowledge, and to improve the lives of their communities.