Product Description
Research Methods in Anthropology is the standard textbook for methods classes in anthropology. Written in Russ BernardOs unmistakable conversational style, his guide has launched tens of thousands of students into the fieldwork enterprise with a combination of rigorous methodology, wry humor, and commonsense advice. The author has thoroughly updated this new fourth edition. Whether you are coming from a scientific, interpretive, or applied anthropological tradition, you will learn field methods from the best guide in both qualitative and quantitative methods. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

research methods in anthropology
book turned out great. no writing, no ripped pages, came within 1 week of ordering online. very satisfied.

A newly updated and expanded fourth edition
Now in a newly updated and expanded fourth edition, "Research Methods In Anthropology: Qualitative And Quantitative Approaches" by H. Russell Bernard (Professor of Anthropology, University of Florida) is a basic, comprehensive, 803-page introductory textbook on the research methods used in anthropology today. Written in a thoroughly 'reader friendly' conversational style that combines rigorous scientific methodology with Professor Bernard's wry sense of humor and experienced-based common sense, this new edition of "Research Methods In Anthropology" has an extensive bibliography and copious real-world examples, as well as sections on computer-based interviewing methods, management of electronic field notes, recording equipment and voice recognition software, text analysis, and the collection/analysis of visual materials. Ideal for college level courses in anthropology, "Research Methods In Anthropology" is also to be strongly recommended as accessibly informative for non-specialist general readers with an interest in anthropological research.

Long, Repetitive and Bland
I find this book, though filled with decent (not excellent) content to be very long and bland. The author continually repeats himself within chapters, extending the length and making it almost confusing to follow, not reinforcing. This is not exciting, neither in writing style nor content.

The Bible for anthropology research
This book is a must read for every anthropologist and every student of anthropology. Well written and thorough.Balanced and intelligent. ... Read more

Product Description
In this invigorating mix of natural history and adventure, artist-naturalist Ellen Meloy uses turquoise—the color and the gem—to probe deeper into our profound human attachment to landscape.

From the Sierra Nevada, the Mojave Desert, the Yucatan Peninsula, and the Bahamas to her home ground on the high plateaus and deep canyons of the Southwest, we journey with Meloy through vistas of both great beauty and great desecration.Her keen vision makes us look anew at ancestral mountains, turquoise seas, and even motel swimming pools.She introduces us to Navajo “velvet grandmothers” whose attire and aesthetics absorb the vivid palette of their homeland, as well as to Persians who consider turquoise the life-saving equivalent of a bullet-proof vest.Throughout, Meloy invites us to appreciate along with her the endless surprises in all of life and celebrates the seduction to be found in our visual surroundings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Pager turner? --> No.Page savorer -->YES!!
This book moved me deeply - many times, at surprising moments, and about a dizzying array of topics.

It's impossible to breeze through this book.One Amazon reviewer described it as "lyrical"; another "like poetry."I'd agree with both - "prose-etry" if that's a word?While reading this book, MANY MANY times, I had to stop after a paragraph, catch my breath, re-read it - then put the book down altogether because the passages were so insightful, thought-provoking, and beautiful.

About crossing the Mojave:"the heat and aridity can kill you, and if they do not, you might die from the intimidating despair evoked by a vast emptiness that is wholly indifferent to your existence."About wearing heirloom pearl necklace:"...I wear the pearls with sun-bleached cotton shirts on strolls to visit cliffrose in bloom, renewing their luster with my skin, remembering a stalwart lineage of pearl-wearers, their necks bearing strands of perfectly matched spheres on every occasion that mattered in their lives, from college graduation to tea dances for the war effort and weddings in dresses the color of gardenias...."

Ellen Meloy doesn't just SEE color, she FEELS it; it provokes emotional connections - as does the contrast of one color against another - and she's able to describe it in a way that made me feel like I'm listening to someone talk about visiting another dimension.It also made me wonder, "I see color, why have I missed all that?"That's why we have writers.She has an uncanny ability to weave poetry with prose, her own intense connection with color, cultural observations, and humankind's connection to the planet into a sentence that stopped me in my tracks.Scores of times - literally.Her life's experience includes the desert, rafting, and a sojourn to the Caribbean and her learning about family history intertwined with slavery.

As I was reading this book, I kept thinking, "I have GOT to meet this woman.And I have GOT to own something she has painted with her own hands."Alas, in doing research about an hour after I finished the book (and I'm a procrastinator!), I was deeply saddened to learn that she is no longer with us.

I'd put this book in my top 10, and would recommend it to anyone.It would be great for a book club - but I'd recommend more than one session to discuss it!Get a copy, find a quiet spot, pour yourself a cup of tea or glass of wine, and savor each page.Prepare to"read, rinse, repeat" - because you won't be able to breeze through this book.You won't want to - you'll want to savor every page.

Amazement as the highest goal
Ellen Meloy quotes Goethe, "The highest goal that man can achieve is amazement." The Anthropology of Turquoise leaves the reader amazed, by her rich and vivid prose, and by how it urges us to engage the natural world around us with fresh, hungry senses.

Meloy decries American's "entrenched national resistance to anything the least bit inconvenient or uncomfortable," but her emphasis, overall, is affirmation not critique. So she describes our brains as a "three-pound mass of neurons wired for an organic, sensory relationship to place... We are blood-tied to landscape by the language of cells. Although we may be hell-bent for metaphysical starvation, trying with all our might to surrender our sensory intelligence to technology and massive artifice, it will take time for these million-years-old senses to atrophy, to go the way of our tail, devolved to a bony nub. In the meantime here we are staggering about the diminishing wilds, greedy to feed those ossifying lobes with light."

Anthropology of Turquoise takes its place, along with her final book, Eating Stone, among my very most favorite books of all time

At times almost poetical
I stumbled on this book during one of those periods in which I become overwhelmed by an urge to go and sit in the desert. Such feelings come to me from time to time. Unfortunately this wasn't practical at the time so I sought to satisfy my longing vicariously. Hence my browsing Amazon and my discovery of this book. Prior to that time I had never heard of the author or her book.

It's difficult to categorize this book. The best that I can do is describe it. It is a collection of essays in which the author muses about various geologies, mostly the southwest, her feelings about the outdoors and her relationship with color. But there are many, many digressions including such subjects as her personal history and the social/political nature of Utah. For the most part I found these digressions enjoyable. Like others have commented I found many passages in which her prose is almost poetical. There are sentences, paragraphs and whole pages that one is tempted to read out loud to anyone who would care to listen. But there are also times that the flights of fancy become a little bit too personal, a little bit too abstruse. It is for this reason that I give it only four stars.

Having said that I would still recommend this book. It is best read when one is in a quiet frame of mind, with no expectation of plot or narrative. As such it fulfilled my desire to go and sit in the desert without leaving home. And I came to appreciate the author's approach to life, her love of nature, her love of being alone and her sometimes irreverent habit of contrasting the lyricism of the desert with the more humorous and profane aspects of life. Doing so only helps one appreciate to totality of life.

At times I found myself wondering why anyone would feel compelled to write such a book. I'm sure the author would reply that a writer writes because she has to. Writing is an indispensable part of the author's life. A life that the reader comes to share. Perhaps this is why, when I discovered half way through the book that the author had died unexpectedly in 2004 at the age of 58, that I felt a pain inside.

I'll probably read another book by Ellen Meloy. Hopefully while sitting on a mesa somewhere. With no expectations.

As Beautifully written as the color
This lyrical, beautifully written book shows the author's love for not only the desert regions of the Southwest, but also for the color turquoise, the color of our skies and the color of the stone lovingly set in the jewelry that defines the region.

You will learn to appreciate tiny details about living in the desert, and you will come to see the land and its beauty through a new light, colored, of course, by shades of turquoise.

Enjoy!

a sense of the southwest
No one writes the feel of the southest like Ellen Meloy. Reading her is second only to being there. ... Read more

Product Description
Exploring Biological Anthropology 2e is a core concepts version of the successful text, Biological Anthropology 2e. It provides students with a strong foundation in biological anthropology without some of the extended examples found in the original text.  Exploring Biological Anthropology 2e offers concise coverage of core material, while maintaining thorough coverage of traditionally important topics.  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Let's hope there never is a 3rd edition.
Forget how fast Amazon or one Amazon's sellers get this book to you and what kind of shape it is in, this is among the most horrible textbooks I have ever encountered.While the grammar used is generally correct, sentences which are intended to convey important information are often strung together haphazardly. Using odd fashions of the vernacular, the book forces the reader to often ask "What is the actual meaning if this sentence?"In addition to the difficult writing style employed in many places, the content (even when properly deciphered) is either fallacious or draws the reader to the wrong conclusion.Quite often statements are made, which the reader should assume were derivatives of some thought process, although the ideation in the thought processes is never elucidated.For example, in the discussion of developmental adaptability of body proportions as a biological response to 'coldness' of the environment of their development, in relation to subsets of the military population drawn from the various U.S. states (by latitude), the authors cite a 1950 study which was done at a time when Blacks were substantially underrepresented in the military in relation to their representation in the overall U.S. population (48%B to 69%W).The authors of the original study concluded that the differences were probably due to developmental adaptability and not to genetic adaptation.The book authors then go on to contrast these findings of a 2003 (which was conducted when Blacks were very underrepresented in the military and Whites were even slightly more so) study which concludes "that if one takes into account whether the soldiers are from African or European ancestry, the climate association disappears".The final sentence of the paragraph (which immediately succeeded the last one) is the real 'creative' work. "American whites have shorter legs and longer trunks than American blacks, and warmer (i.e.) southern states may have a greater representation of blacks than colder states".What am I, the student reader of that mess, supposed to conclude?Not only do the authors ignore the representation of the Blacks and Whites at the time of each study, their ultimate conclusion appears to be that there IS a difference between the body proportions as a function of State, and that it MAY be due to the proportions of Blacks and Whites in each state, and that it is ultimately the Black/White body proportion differences that MAY account for the differences because Blacks make up larger proportions of the populations of Southern States.Even though they come to that conclusion, they fail to acknowledge that their hypothesis can be easily tested by actually looking at the Black/White proportional representation from each state (the military does keep these records).At any rate, I'm drawing a blank.

Finally, my biggest peeve with this text is the often contradictory relationship (or sometime lack of correspondence, altogether) between the literal text and in the illustrations that are indexed in the text.In the section on lactose intolerance they make the statement "African figures in the tables are from countries not ethnic groups" yet under Africa in the table Bantu and Watutsi are both listed.Similarly, in the text a broad statement about the lack of lactose intolerance found in the Middle East, yet no entry in the table is from a Middle Eastern country.Also, since I was aware of the fact that Jews in Israel have a relatively high degree of lactose intolerance, I wanted to assess the accuracy of their statement inclusive for the Middle East (because Israel was in the Middle East last time I looked).As it turns out, northern Egyptians are about as lactose intolerant as are Israelis, that countries immediately surrounding Israel express about as much lactose intolerance as does Israel, that Iran has very high levels of lactose intolerance, and that in the Middle East and northern Africa the real correlation between lactose tolerance and geography appears to be more in accordance with historical aridity than with geographical position.Egyptians express lesser degrees of lactose intolerance as a function of north south location.Those at the mouth of the Nile are very lactose intolerant and those at the southern, more arid end near Sudan are more lactose tolerant. A more interesting evolutionary hypothesis to explain the REAL data is that the more desert dwelling people probably relied on drinking camel's milk for survival.

Anyway, my intent was not to give an anthropology lesson, but to provide the reader with concrete examples of what is wrong with this text.If you are an educator considering using it, carefully read a copy before you make the decision.I'm no anthropologist, but I have to believe there is a better text somewhere out there.

Great Book!
This book was in great condition and came way before the set date. There were no marks or stain just like the seller said. Very great book. Thank you!

seller review
book was rceived several days before promised date and in better condition than specified.very happy with seller. ... Read more

Product Description
This concise introduction to biological anthropology discusses the core areas of the discipline within a unique framework modeled on the scientific method. The text emphasizes themes and theories: facts are presented as supportive evidence rather than dissociated pieces of information. Each chapter poses questions that get at the heart of the field, answers them, and then reexamines them in the same way that scientists generate and test hypotheses. Unlike all other brief biological anthropology texts, this is not an abridged version of a longer text. Its presentation is fluid, well integrated, and covers all the standard topics in a carefully managed level of detail. Well-paced explanations, an inviting tone, and examples of the everyday uses of biological anthropology make the text a pleasure to read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Biological Anthropology Text
I used this textbook for a class and it was highly informative and, at the same time, readable. Even if you're not using it for a class, it's a good book to have if you want to learn about the basics of physical (biological) anthropology. Highly recommended.

Great tool
This book is one that my professor has used for a number of terms and will continue to use it.I found that it was nice having the definitions to words listed on the side of the page which helped me with comprehension.This book gives a good amount of information in concise short chapters.

Biological Anthropology
I ordered this book for a class, and it came on time and in really good condition. ... Read more

Product Description

Cultural Anthropology: A Global Perspective provides students with an introduction to cultural anthropology through a traditional holistic and integrative approach. Organized by societal type, this book's primary emphasis is on applied anthropology, with a strong coverage of globalization.

Customer Reviews (2)

Overall Good
Ordered it Tuesday, got it Friday.. Great shipping!Book is in good condition minus some highlighter marks and a slit in the front cover plus some pages.

Insightful educational text
This was a required text for my online Cultural Anthropology course and for an educational text it is quite interesting.I find the break down of each chapter to be rather appealing and logical and each chapter has a list of terms.My professor gives us many online and outside resources but this text gives the backbone reasoning behind each. ... Read more

Product Description
A recent National Academy of Sciences inductee, Conrad Phillip Kottak offers an up-to-date holistic introduction to general anthropology from the four-field perspective. Kottak emphasizes why anthropology should matter to students and how students can use anthropology to better understand themselves. "Bringing It All Together" essays found on the online learning center demonstrate the integrated and comparative nature of anthropology. New "Through the Eyes of Others" essays offer the perspectives of foreign students and recent graduates who present their own cultures of origin in contrast with contemporary American culture.Thought-provoking questions now begin each chapter to highlight key themes and spark discussions and critical thinking. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Uhg.
This, the thirteenth version, is a totally unnecessary update. Do yourself a favor and get one of the previous editions, the content is basically the same, but for a fraction of the price. ... Read more

Product Description
Comprehensive, readable and written for the student, Haviland/Prins/Walwrath's market-leading text, CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, is a highly relevant, high-quality teaching tool. The narrative voice of the text has been thoroughly internationalized and the "we:they" Western voice has been replaced with an inclusive one that will resonate with both Western and non-Western students and professors. In addition, gender, ethnicity, and stratification concepts and terminologies have been completely overhauled in accordance with contemporary thinking and the narrative streamlined using more fully developed, balanced, and global examples. In CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, the authors present students with examples of "local responses" to challenging globalization issues, designed to provide students with a "cross-cultural survival guide"for living in the diverse, multicultural world of the 21st century. This edition is a truly exciting and unique examination into the field of cultural anthropology, its insights, its relevance, and the continuing role of cultural survival issues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Cultural Anthropology, 11th edition
This book is straightforward and easy to understand. Chapters are organized and vocabulary and main topics are summarized at the end of the book; sometimes I'd just read these parts and I would understand the entire chapter.

Education made affordable
My school bookstore wanted $95 for this text but I was able to get it for $5 here. Upon receipt (which was sooner than expected) I did a quick inspection and found the quality to be more than adequate as the book had the original, unopened discs. I couldn't be happier.

Just a book for class.
I did get a used book for a class.It is a great buy, I would've paid $148 for a new one at school, but I asked the teacher and he said this older edition would be fine, so I saved myself a ton of money.The book is in good condition, too.

Great read
Even though I needed this book for a class it was very interesting. Glad that my instructor chose it.It does not focus on one group of people, it shares information about a large number of various cultures across the world.

Curtral Anthropology in a Detailed Sense
I wouldn't have normally purchased this book if it wasn't for a course requirement. From chapter one all the way to the end, the authors take the reader or student through a detailed interface of what life is like experienced in other cultures. It touches upon the four different career interests in cultural anthropology as well. A time consuming read, but loaded with useful information for in and out of the class room.
... Read more

Product Description
Successfully integrating attention to culture change, gender, class, race and ethnicity, and the environment, this text engages students with compelling ethnographic examples and by demonstrating the relevance of anthropology.

Faculty and students praise the book’s proven ability to generate class discussion, increase faculty-student engagement, and enhance student learning.

Through clear writing, a balanced theoretical approach, and engaging examples, Miller stresses the importance of social inequality and human rights, the environment, culture change and applied aspects of anthropology. Rich examples of gender, ethnicity, race, class, and age thread through the topical coverage of economic systems, the life-cycle, health, kinship, social organization, politics, language, religion, and expressive culture. The last two chapters address how migration is changing world cultures and the importance of local cultural values and needs in shaping international development policies and programs.

 Material throughout the book highlights the relevance of anthropology to students and how they can apply in their careers. By entwining attention to key theories for understanding culture with an emphasis on relevance of anthropological knowledge and skills, this text is the perfect choice for all introductory cultural anthropology courses.

Customer Reviews (7)

Cultural Anthropology
This book has insight to many unqiue culturals from non human to human. I love how deep Barbara Miller goes to give detail to many of the explores stories with comparison to other previsited places and the differences on how these places have changed over the years. It's easy to understand and I enjoyed reading it. Plenty of pictures and examples.

Pages Missing
At first it seemed all was well. The book appeared to be in good condition. Transaction was smooth and easy. I got half way through my course and realized that 2 pages had been torn out. One of them Page 376 was specific to my assignment. Luckily I was able to have a classmate scan the page and email it to me. The other page that was missing was part of my reading assignment. It was very disappointing. I learned my lesson about buying used.

Cultural Anthropology (5th Edition) (MyAnthroLab Series)
I received the book in good condition and in a timely manner . i have not read it yet because it is not my next class . So I can not give ita proper review .

works great
I attend Ashford online. And this is the book I needed for a class.
Please remember you don't have to buy the books from Ashford it will break you. A lot of the books will say Ashford addition and have a number such as (7th ed) when in fact you can get the (6th ed) is word for word except for the number, no Ashford name on the cover and you will save anywhere from 75-95% of the coast if you buy them on Amazon I have even got one here for 50 cents and the bookstore at Ashford wanted $97.00. Please check first as we all knows books can kill the wallet.

Cultural Anthropology (4th Edition) (MyAnthroLab Series) by Barbra Miller
I go to ashford university and this book helped me in my class cultral anthopology.very helpful and useful to me ... Read more

Product Description
Moore's Cultural Anthropology, Second Edition is an introduction to the study of cultures via an updated version of the community study/network method. Using a multiple institutional, holistic approach, his book is organized in five sections: understanding the human primate; band communities and elemental human institutions; tribes and emergent institutions; traditional civilizations; and the anthropology of modern life. This book is ideal for undergraduate introductory courses in cultural anthropology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

cultural anthropology: the field study of human beings
delivered promptly.condition of book exactly as seller described.would buy again from this seller.

hate this booook!
i had to get this book for a class and all it is is boring stories with some guy talking about studies done by some anthropologists and all he does is criticize them. hate the author. the seller is good though! ... Read more

Product Description
Applying Cultural Anthropology: An Introductory Reader is a collection of articles that provide compelling examples of applied research in cultural anthropology. In this age of globalization and increased cultural intolerance, the basic messages of public anthropology are more important than ever. The eighth edition offers 8 new readings and a new chart at the beginning of the text to help instructors and students locate key themes and topics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Service
Shipped quicker than everything else I ordered on the same day! Thank's so much-it in NEW condition just like you claimed.

Applying Cultural Anthropology
I was happy with this purchase.The item came just as described and the shipping was exactly as described and on time.I would buy from this place again.

Excellent materials, great selection
First off, I'd like to agree with the first reviewer. This is an excellent compilation that stands by itself (although, for an intro class, it definitely requires a "discipline-oriented" text book like Kottak as a guiding force).Iwould recommend this book highly to my fellow anthros and to general readers alike. What follows is a brief summary of some of my favorite articles in the collection. The selections are all short and well-written, they make interesting and useful points and convey the complexity and utility of anthropology very, very well.

I've been waiting a long time to see Peggy McIntosh's wonderful essay on "White Privilege" in print somewhere.I had the distinct pleasure of hearing her give an oral version of the same talk a number of years ago and am very very pleased to see it published here for the benefit of students.The book is worth the price for that article alone.

However, this is not the only gem in this collection.Phillipe Bourgois' work on crack dealers is introduced here as is Gerald Murray's work on wood farming as a means to encourage re-forestation programs in Haiti.There are also classics such as Richard Lee's story of the !Kung San insulting of his gift of a Christmas ox ("Eating Christmas in the Kalahari") and Laura Bohannon's failure to get Tiv elders to see Hamlet as a story about incest, revenge and justice.Jared Diamond's revisionist view of the advent of agriculture is also here (perhaps an antidote for his more recent "Guns, Germs and Steel" though undoutedly similar in style).

Other personal favorites of mine include Eugene Cooper's discussion of Chinese table manners (also a must for people who want to teach a course on the anthropology of food), Richard Reed's examination of the tension between environmentalists and indigenous communities in Paraguay, Joan Cassels' excellent analysis of surgery as a male-gendered medical speciality and Paul Farmer's and Arthur Kleinman's thoughtful peice on suffering and AIDS in Haiti.

Incidentally, I would thoroughly recommend anything by Paul Farmer to readers interested in social medicine.His scholarship and humanity are both quite phenomenal and totally justify the attention he has recieved due to the MacArthur fellowship.

I only have a couple of quibbles with this book and even these are not so much criticisms as comments for the unwary:Jennifer Laab's peice on corporate anthropologists seems to have been written for a corporate audience as a selling point for anthropology.As such it plays up the notion of anthropologists as service providers for corporate interests in a way which is a little frown-inducing for an academician such as myself.Not because I don't approve of anthropology in the private sector, but because the peice itself seems to argue that anthropology is merely a set of techniques that can be workshopped (like team-building exercises)to busy executives for the greater good of the company.Again, this is a VERY worthwhile point to debate, but not one that easily stands without comment.Secondly, the article by Wade Davis (he of "Serpent and the Rainbow" fame), while again discussion-worthy, seems a little superficial, dated in language and probably replaceable (Robert Voeks'recently-published "Sacred Leaves of Candomble" is one alternative that springs to mind).Lastly, I would like to plead for the inclusion of a selection on tatooing or bodily adornment of some sort in any future editions. This is a topic of enduring interest among students and would definitely be an asset to such a nicely-balanced and valuable collection.

Not only a good textbook, but an interesting book.
When I took a sophomore level anthropology class at my University,Applying Anthropology was required as a secondary reading text, in additionto Kottak's Anthropology (7th edition).Applying Anthropology contains 52articles in the categories of Biological Anthropology, Archaeology,Cultural Anthropology, Culture and Communication, Culture and Food, Cultureand Race, Economy and Business, Gender and Socialization, Politics &Law & Warfare, and Social & Cultural Change.Instead of being atextbook that was something I just read for the class that required it, itturned out to be a book that I would have bought for my own personalpurposes.Also, in addition to enjoying reading it, I learned a lot aboutanthropology.One of my favorite articles discusses what may have happenedon Easter Island that resulted in the demise of an entire culture. All inall, Applying Anthropology provides an interesting approach to learning alot about culture worldwide. ... Read more

Product Description

Integrating current material on globalization, gender, class, race, ethnicity, and other contemporary social issues throughout the book, Barbara Miller's Cultural Anthropology in a Globalizing World  text engages students with compelling ethnographic examples and demonstrates the relevance of cultural anthropology to their lives.

• Rich examples of gender, ethnicity, race, class, and age thread through the topical coverage of economic systems, the life-cycle, health, kinship, social organization, politics, language, religion, and expressive culture.
• Each chapter highlights applied anthropology and provides students with practical tips about how they can use anthropology in their everyday lives.
• The last two chapters address the urgent issues of how migration is changing world cultures and the importance of local cultural values in shaping international development policies and programs.

This book, based on Miller’s full-length Cultural Anthropology  text, will generate class discussion, increase faculty-student engagement, and enhance student learning. Through clear writing, a balanced theoretical approach, and engaging examples, Miller stresses the importance of social inequality, cultural change, and applied aspects of anthropology throughout the book.

Customer Reviews (1)

Cultural Anthropology
The book was good, I ordered for a friend of mine and she enjoyed it.It helped her to pass her course at the university that we go to.Thank you amazon. ... Read more

Product Description

The only book that integrates the foundations and the most current innovations in the field from the ground up. Over the past twenty years, this field has rapidly evolved from the study of physical anthropology into biological anthropology, incorporating the evolutionary biology of humankind based on information from the fossil record and the human skeleton, genetics of individuals and of populations, our primate relatives, human adaptation, and human behavior .  Stanford combines the most up-to-date, comprehensive coverage of the foundations of the field with the modern innovations and discoveries.

Customer Reviews (3)

Book
I'm very excited i got this book. I would have had to pay almost $100 for it but since i bought it here i saved a ton. Awesome buy.

The book
The book is in the condition that was promised and got here on time. Thanks

A bit of family history revealed
Although published as a textbook for university students, this volume is an excellent read for anybody wishing to understand the course of evolution.The authors have assembled a wealth of material, organised it in an effective manner and presented it with outstanding prose skill.Lead author Craig Stanford, whose books on primate behaviour are well-known, is joined by neurologist and geneticist John Allen and anthropologist Susan Anton.The trio bringsmany years of experience to the task of explaining human origins.



After a brief introduction explaining what is meant by "Biological Anthropology", the authors provide a fine survey of the basic mechanisms of natural selection - DNA and genetics.Their depiction of how the genome is formed and how that structure builds the elements needed for natural selection to operate is an outstanding brief summary.Using available chemicals, DNA's mechanisms to build cells are explained, supplemented by vivid graphic images.From the process of cell building, the authors move on to show how the completed organism must deal with its environment, which includes other creatures, plant life and climate conditions through adaptation down succeeding generations.The authors describe the various factors leading to producing new species, isolation, elapsed time and new conditions.They also address the issue of how fossils and conditions are recorded in time and how researchers use a variety of techniques to determine age and place.



The species of concern, of course, are the primates.The sudden demise of the great reptiles that had ruled the Earth for over 150 million years opened new vistas for the life that survived the catastrophe.Little, fur-bearing creatures moved into niches that allowed rapid change.Many varieties emerged, but noteworthy among them were shrew-sized omnivores.Spreading over the land and forests, some of them developed new traits that would ultimately lead to us.The origin of the primates is lost in the mists of time, compounded by the paucity of fossils and lack of agreement on what typifies a "primate".The earliest proposed species bears the ungainly name of "Plesiadapiforms".The authors describe the traits suggesting these were our earliest ancestors, while explaining what is lacking to establish a firm identity.Each of the points they introduce is enhanced by the contending researchers' arguments over lineage.



Once past the vague beginnings, the team offers insights into how ape transformed into human.The physiological trends, such as jaw structure and teeth are outlined.Each of the fossil examples of pre-human hominids is examined critically with the important elements indicating its lineage in the human story assessed.From a lonely skull in a desert to remote caves, creatures that one day would lead to you and me are revealed.At some point, one or more of the ape-like animals stood upright.Demonstrating what a major step this was, with changes in spinal column, head position and posture, the new form proved to be even more adaptable than its predecessors.Not the least of the advantages gained, they note, is the ability to travel long distances with minimal energy expenditure.As much as we've learned, the authors remind us of the many questions remaining.The actual number of species, where and how they lived, and how many lineages did the ape ancestor lead to over the millennia?



Emerging "modern" forms bring new challenges in understanding.Although early apes sent offshoots out of Africa, it was the hominids that proved to be the most ambitious travellers.Homo erectus spent over a million years traversing Asia, leaving fossils in far-flung sites across the continent and in the islands southeast of the mainland.Their remains have been dated to as recently as 25 to 50 thousand years old.The recent find on the island of Flores suggest an even more recent descendant.A new species, Homo sapiens, and its own diaspora out of Africa follows.Its most significant aspect, the development of intelligence and language is thoroughly examined.A major change took place leading to the one species with the highest proportion of brain size to body weight.Coupled with changes in physiology, our species created a new form of intricate communication abilities.The brain also went through changes in organisation.Which factor made the greatest contribution to human behaviour patterns is the concluding segment of the book.It is that aspect of our history that remains most contentious and the authors examine the various views surrounding that issue.It's a fitting conclusion to this in-depth and comprehensive study.[stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada] ... Read more

Product Description

This widely adopted text is a concise and engaging introduction to the field that presents competing theoretical perspectives in a balanced fashion, highlighting points of conflict and convergence.  

Written in an accessible, jargon-free language, Exploring Medical Anthropology’s concise length leaves room for instructors to supplement it with monographs of their own choosing. Concrete cases and the author’s personal research experiences are utilized to explain some of the discipline’s most important insights; such as that biology and culture matter equally in the human experience of disease and that medical anthropology can help to alleviate human suffering.   An extensive glossary facilitates student learning of concepts and terms, while a list of suggested readings at the end of each chapter and an extensive bibliography encourage further exploration.

Customer Reviews (5)

Exploring Medical Anthropology
The book came in good condition and I'm enjoying it so far. I'm reading the book for a Medical Anthropology class I'm taking at UCI this quarter. It has good references to the ethnographies that Joralemon has participated in. So far, I'm enjoying the course and the book.

introduction to medical anthropology
I am a new student to anthropology and Joralemon's book was 'recommended' (required) text for my course. It is short (136 'big print' pages of actual text, good margin space for making notes) which is a bonus to students where other texts are measured by the kilo. It could be read from cover to cover in a day or two. However, the shortness to my mind reflects its lack of width and depth. Joralemon's case studies are interesting and of value, but narrow and situated for a North American market. There is nothing on Indo-Asian medical anthropology, or European. Complementary and Alternative therapies (CAM)are barely mentioned and traditional medicines are only covered with Shamanism in Peru - nothing substantial of Africa, aboriginal or other. The words, 'holistic, spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional' (as examples) do not appear in the index and the focus is the biomedicine of North America.

I found the book a disappointment compared to my only other comparison of an introductory text such as Joy Hendry's "Introduction to Social Anthropology" (Palgrave) in which I was able to learn of things throughout history and geographically dispersed, it is a book I will refer to again. Joralemon is a 'light start' to the concepts of medical anthropology but in my personal opinion, should not be a sole text for learning in this subject area.

I did find the book easy to read in terms of its written style and choice of language. the technical words are explained in the text and some are also included in a glossary at the back of the book. Joralemon cites other authors who are (to my limited knowledge) well regarded and provide good leads for further reading. I just wish he had less of a personal focus and a bit more of a 'what is medical anthropology' approach (short descriptions of various aspects with a case study and further references) as in some edited texts, which would give the book a lifespan beyond one course. I can only conclude that as University staff select this book as a compulsory or recommended text it is because they think it is good (it is in a third edition); or because there is nothing else yet to replace it.

Joralemon (on page 135) explains that he "sought to convey the impressive accomplishments" of the relatively new field of medical anthropology, the breadth of ethnography, the blending of biological and cultural perspectives on health, what and how medical anthropology can achieve for communities. He has succeeded in introducing these topics to a reader at an introductory level. A fuller understanding of medical anthropology would require more reading than this text book and my view is that you probably won't refer to this book much after the class you needed it for - but you may for the references given in the back. If you live outside of North America this book will give you a western-western view of biomedicine and medical anthropology's place in it and will definitely need to supplement with other reading.

This is somewhat of a mixed review - but I am trying to recognise that Joralemon has written a text for a North American market based on his ethnographic research and applied that to medical anthropology for a particular audience. However, in my required use of it, it is presented as the 'what is medical anthropology' and it doesn't do it for me.

I offer thanks to Dr Joralemon for writing something of value to students, I would imagine that in his own teachings on medical anthropology he moves beyond this text. Also, the limitation of content may be one of the publisher's required size and not his own wishes.

Great Condition
Great condition, shipped in a timely manner, and is exactly what I needed. Thank you!

A good book to start with
This book is a good introduction to medical anthropology.It gives you a briff history and shows what is going on in the field today. The end notes are extrimly interesting and there's a lot of sujested readings.

Great for people who want an introduction to Med. Anthro
The book is a great resource for someone who is just being introduced to medical anthropology. It is short and sweet. It describes all the basic aspects of medical anthropology by using real research in South America andthe US as an example. It also introduces all the major debates out there inthe field and in regard to different persceptives. ... Read more

Product Description
Framed around the concept of culture, Nanda and Warms' brief book shows you how culture matters in driving and explaining human behavior, and that culture is a dynamic concept that interrelates various cultural systems in adaptive (or maladaptive) ways. The text focuses on how culture?a group of understandings, some explicit, some implicit, with recognizable norms and values?helps direct and explain peoples' behavior, why this is important for understanding what is going on in the world today, and how we can solve problems and effect positive change. The authors will draw you into the book's concepts via engaging ethnographic storytelling and a conversational writing style that connects you to the topics. You'll focus on contemporary issues, issues of globalization, issues of gender, and issues of equalities and inequalities?topics that are important to both the study of anthropology and your understanding of the world around you. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive and scientific introduction to cultural anthropology helps students understand how humans vary culturally and why they got to be that way.  This new edition highlights migration and immigration in the context of globalization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

great condition
the book arrived very quickly in "lke new" condition. I was very pleased with the product.

Reliable seller
Very nice book. Was as described. The description was accurate; and the seller turned out to be reputable. Will deal with again should I require more.

Happy with purchase......
We had a mix up with the shipping but the seller was quick at responding and resolving situation. If asked if I would purchase from seller again, yes I would.

Great purchase
This book is in excellent condition. I was very pleased with the shipping & the item.

Cultural Anthropology book
the book that i order was excellent.it was very cheap and it came to my house in less then two days(i thought it was going to take a week!).if i had to buy another book from amazon.com i would buy it from this seller. ... Read more

Product Description
"More than any other book, this one introduces students to another time and another place, what Karl Barth long ago called "the strange new world of the Bible".---Dennis C. Dualing, Professor of Religion Canisius College, Buffalo, New York. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

great insights
For years, I have been trying to discover the cultural background of the New Testament.Malina answered a lot of my questions in very helpful ways. I enjoyed the variety of subjects that he covers, and his paragraphs comparingcontemporary and first century cultures were quite helpful.The concepts he describes in the first century Mediterranean culture exist in many cultures today, which can be useful if one is involved in any cross culture work. This book made my research and teaching deeper and more interesting. I wouldhighly recommend it to any Bible scholar.(I am a minister and seminary student.)

Very informative and fascinating
This book provides great insights into the culture of 1st century Palestine and gives fascinating insights into the psychology of the individuals present in the world of the New Testament. While other books cover well the radical challenge that the teacher Jesus made to financial and political systems of the time, this book makes very clear that the revolution he really sought was one involving consciousness itself - an entire (and to some, incredibly threatening) transformation of foundational values. Very readable as well, not too academic or full of needless jargon.

Insights into the 1st Centruy World
If you ever wanted to read the Bible and truly understand the text behind the text, then this is the book you want to read.

Malina does a wonderful job of giving us insight in to the world that is 1st Century Judea.He brings out the cultural scene of the times to aid us in the understanding of what it was like to be someone in this time period.

Malina breaks down the culture based on the 4 levels of understand.They include kinship, power, religion and economics.He discusses the impact that kinship and power had on this era and how these two items were most prevalent in terms of how people viewed each other.Kinship is broken down into blood lines, where you were born, gender issues and so forth in a way that amazes a reader when it comes to truly seeing the time.Power discusses the fine art of challenge and repose and how challenge was used to try to break down status of an individual (why do you think the Pharisees asked Jesus so many questions????To lower his power.Funny how Jesus always wins.).Malina discusses the impact of shame and honor and how that plays a role in the family and community.

For anyone who really wants to understand the message behind the text of the Bible this is a must have volume for your library.

Good information
Malina's book was written for "the beginning student of the New Testament" and he has achieved his goal, although intermediate and advanced students will benefit as well. He covers a wide range of subjects (e.g., honor and shame, group vs individual personality, social status, envy, kinship and marriage, clean and unclean) with sufficient depth to get his points across. Personally I would have preferred more in depth discussions and certainly more documentation, but perhaps that would have made a much larger book.

Malina's discussion provide insights into the broad sociocultural and psychological constructs which were operational at the time of the 1st millenium. Thus, they help us understand the customs and language of the New Testament where we might otherwise fail to grasp a critical saying or event. For example, his chapter on envy puts into perspective one of the chief motivations for the conspiracy to kill Jesus, which might otherwise not be apparent. In this same vein, his chapter on maintaining social status goes a long way toward explaining what appear to be strange greetings between Jesus and his prospective followers.

The book is not perfect. The writing style tends toward the academic, yet it lacks the true scholarly flavor some might be searching for. Perhaps this comes from the attempt to make academic material more accessible to the general public. I certainly recommend it as a supplementary text for anyone interested in understanding Jesus and his time period.

Great, but Dry
All in all, I've been very pleased with this purchase. The book came to me highly recommended and I wasn't disappointed. I would caution the reader though when I say that the book is more than a little dry. Also, Malina tends to rely on abstract models to make his point, which is fine, but may not work well for some. On the whole, though, the book is indispensable and will serve anyone well. ... Read more

Product Description
Renowned for its integration of rich ethnographies into the core book, CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, 10th Edition provides excellent coverage of cultures around the world. This new edition integrates the most recent research updates, while continuing to emphasize the issues of power, gender, globalization, stratification, and ethnicity. High-interest features such as the new "The Global and the Local" capture a key message of the book: the study of anthropology is important because it builds awareness and helps develop informed citizens of the many similarities and differences among cultures around the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

text book review
this is a college textbook so it is a very dry reading. i think the points that are raised by the book are very intresting, insightful, and debatable. the price was the best i had seen with a relyable seller and beats my college books store by over $70 (my book store $185 amazon $113). if your a student taking the course or just someone intrested in learning i think that buying from amazon would be your best purchas. but if you are looking for pleasure reading i would suggest a diffrent book. i take my book to class it has not been damaged so far and i havve had it for a month and a half, this book is durable for my needs although i do treat my book with mild care.

Anthropology
purchased for my daughters college course, we purchase from amazon because of the price being cheaper than the school bookstore.

An overpriced book
This is a perfectly fine cultural anthropology textbook. It is well-organized and reasonably well-written

The problem with this book as that that it is extremely overpriced. The issue is that editions 9E, 8E, 7E,... are equally good. They publish a new edition with an inflated price ($150) every year and the differences in editions are negligible, The publisher and the authors (Nanda and Warms) should be ashamed of themselves.

textbook
the book was in good condition although it wasnt described as having pages that were highlighted and there were.There also was a problem with delivery, I paid extra for faster delivery and did not receive the book till 2 days after the promise delivery date when I inquired about it I was told sorry thats never happened and not even an offer to reimburse me for the extra shipping charges I paid. Very disappointing.Im not sure I would trust this seller again.My daughter needed this book for school and had to go without.

Cultural Anthropology
This textbook is enriching and it introduces cross cultural studies, which I believe everybody should be familiar with. Cultural anthropology is both interesting and informative, therefore I recommend this textbook ... Read more

Product Description
Now more accessible and student-friendly in this full-color seventh edition, Cultural Anthropology: A Perspective on the Human Condition explores how cultural creativity, human agency, and the material conditions of everyday life interact together to shape human cultural practices. It stresses contemporary applications and human narratives across cultures, focusing on how people bring meaning to the world and transform it through practical action. Offering solid coverage of traditional topics, the authors incorporate cutting-edge theory and explain complex ideas in accessible language. They pay special attention to issues of power and inequality in the contemporary world, including gender inequalities, racism, ethnic discrimination, nationalism, caste, and class.
Covering the material in fifteen concise chapters, Cultural Anthropology is ideal for introductory courses. It exposes students to alternative perspectives from non-anthropologists and indigenous peoples through "In Their Own Words" commentaries, and it provides ethnographic summaries of each society discussed at length in the text in "EthnoProfile" boxes. The text also features many pedagogical aids including key terms, a running glossary, chapter summaries, maps, and annotated suggestions for further reading. An Instructor's Manual and Computerized Test Bank and a Companion Website at www.oup.com/us/culturalanthro provide additional helpful resources, including a student guide with extensive study skill tips and chapter review tests. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Met Expectations
I received the book 4 days before the earliest possible date. I am very happy with how quickly it got to me. Also, the book was in the exact condition as described.
Overall, I am super pleased!

ASB102 TEXT MR. McCAIG-PHOENIX COLLEGE
I started reading the text in preparation for
Spring Semester '10 and it seems very interesting.
My instructor chose this book as opposed to another text that another instructor chose for her
class.
I like the ETHNO PROFILES--and the book is well-
written, I believe. and well-illustrated.
I won't know for sure about this product until
I get into it starting January 19, 2010

just as good as a used book from school, but cheaper
I am taking Anthro 201 and really only use the book for vocab. the one nice thing is that the book places definitions of each highlighted term at the bottom of the page for easy viewing ... Read more

Product Description
The #1 text in physical anthropology, now in a brief edition.With the same unparalleled art and inquiry-based pedagogy as the best-selling Our Origins, Essentials of Physical Anthropology is the ideal text for focusing students’ attention on what really matters and why. Author Clark Larsen, one of the world’s leading physical anthropologists, has worked hard to develop a tight narrative, covering only the most pertinent, most up-to-date information that students should know. Pedagogical features in every chapter keep students focused on the core concepts and “big questions” in physical anthropology. An extensive art program, including figures, photos, maps, and bubble captions, brings concepts to life.
... Read more

Product Description
This Eighteenth Edition of ANNUAL EDITIONS: Physical Anthropology provides convenient, inexpensive access to current articles selected from the best of the public press. Organizational features include: an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; a general introduction; brief overviews for each section; and an online instructor’s resource guide with testing materials. USING ANNUAL EDITIONS IN THE CLASSROOM is offered as a practical guide for instructors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

awesome!!!
book was in as described conditions. fast shipping and never had a problem. would buy from again in the future. highly recommend.

Great !
This book is very well laid out and easy to read. A variety of interesting articles.

Great transaction!
Thank you for delivering this textbook to me in a timely manner. The item I received was in the condition that was described. A pleasure to do business with you. ... Read more