Book Description
This supplementary reader is composed of 38 classic and contemporary articles that demonstrate the significant contributions that cultural anthropologists make; the emphasis is on the applicability of cultural anthropology to understanding and improving the present day human condition. Whether debating the merits of a career in anthropology or questioning why the subject should be studied, students will grow to appreciate anthropology's widespread uses, from conducting market research to working with refugee communities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

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

Book Description
This supplementary reader is composed of 49 classic and contemporary articles that demonstrate the significant contributions that anthropologists make; the emphasis is on the applicability of anthropology to understanding and improving the present day human condition. Whether debating the merits of a career in anthropology or questioning why the subject should be studied, students will grow to appreciate anthropology's widespread uses, from conducting market research to working with refugee communities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Engaging Reading
This is a phenomenal collection of essays, ranging from ancient agricultural techniques to the interpretation of Shakespeare in remote Africa. It provides basic, easy to read, and entirely absorbing examples of how the field of anthropology (as well as linguistics, sociology, archeology, paleontology, and more) is at work around the globe. Each reading is brief enough to engage even the most reluctant reader and no background experience is necessary to understand and enjoy them - although advanced students will not be disappointed.

Good book, really!
I generally hate my text books, but I found this one interesting. Go figure!

Nicely Done
Well, I thought I would get bored out of my mind but if you are searching for something to understand more about Anthropology...this is the one. The author dida great job in focusing on the basics and that was all I neededto get a boost on this subject....It was great!

Nicely Done
Well, I thought I would get bored out of my mind but if you are searching for something to understand more about Anthropology...this is the one. The author dida great job in focusing on the basics and that was all I neededto get a boost on this subject....It was great! ... Read more

Book Description
First published in 1967, Visual Anthropology has become a classic in its field, invaluable not only for anthropologists but for anyone using photography, film, and video to understand human behavior and culture. This completely revised and expanded edition brings the technical information up to date and includes the insights the Colliers have gained from nearly thirty-five additional years of collective teaching and research experience since the first edition.

This book provides reliable research methods from the systematic gathering of data through analysis of photographic records to transfer of insights to ethnographic records, with an emphasis on developing the skills of thorough observation rather than on technical skill. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great for getting started in Visual Anthropology.
I got this book after a long held interest in visual anthropology.Its simple informative text was very useful for those interested in getting involved with visual anthropology.It might be a little oversimplified for those who those have a stronger background than me.Lots of story examples and pictures to interpret.

A great resource
I was required to buy Visual Anthropology for my Visual Sociology class my sophomore year of college.This is one i didn't sell back to the bookstore after the class was over because it is so useful.It is a great book to help a person learn how to use a camera as a research tool and get the mostout of it. ... Read more

Book Description
In Anthropology and Social Theory the award-winning anthropologist Sherry B. Ortner draws on her longstanding interest in theories of cultural practice to rethink key concepts of culture, agency, and subjectivity for the social sciences of the twenty-first century. The seven theoretical and interpretive essays in this volume each advocate reconfiguring, rather than abandoning, the concept of culture. Similarly, they all suggest that a theory which depends on the interested action of social beings—specifically practice theory, associated especially with the work of Pierre Bourdieu—requires a more developed notion of human agency and a richer conception of human subjectivity. Ortner shows how social theory must both build upon and move beyond classic practice theory in order to understand the contemporary world.

Some of the essays reflect explicitly on theoretical concerns: the relationship between agency and power, the problematic quality of ethnographic studies of resistance, and the possibility of producing an anthropology of subjectivity. Others are ethnographic studies that apply Ortner’s theoretical framework. In these, she investigates aspects of social class, looking at the relationship between race and middle-class identity in the United States, the often invisible nature of class as a cultural identity and as an analytical category in social inquiry, and the role that public culture and media play in the creation of the class anxieties of Generation X. Written with Ortner’s characteristic lucidity, these essays constitute a major statement about the future of social theory from one of the leading anthropologists of our time.

... Read more

Book Description
This streamlined, full-color text is a thorough and well balanced introduction to the fields of physical anthropology and archaeology. Now with a new co-author, Barry Lewis brings his expertise in research methods and his experience with North American and South Indian archaeology to this edition.The author teams' conversational writing style and high interest features such as "Digging Deeper", and also new features such as "At a Glance", "Focus Questions" and "Cutting Edge Research" helps students grasp the material and enjoy learning in the process. At the beginning of each chapter the authors also point students and instructors to the media appropriate for that chapter.In addition to the text and Basic Companion Website, Wadsworth offers a Premium Companion Site and several technology based products such as an Online Virtual Laboratories or CD-ROM, the Hominid Fossils CD-ROM and Basic Genetics CD-ROM. See the supplement section for details. ... Read more

Book Description
This book serves as a useful introduction of cultural anthropology by integrating ethnographic material from around the world. By drawing upon classic and recent research in the field, it reflects current state-of-the-art understandings of social and cultural changes based on the interrelationships among different societies. The book demonstrates the diversity of different societies and cultural patterns, yet at the same time reveals similarities in humans everywhere.A six-part organization covers: basic concepts in anthropology, basic concepts of culture and society, prestate societies, state societies, consequences of globalization, and anthropology and the global future.For individuals interested in assessing anthropological explanations to better understand humanity. ... Read more

Book Description
This comprehensive volume reflects recent anthropological research and controversial developments, while integrating features in each chapter to spark and maintain reader interest. A focus on applied anthropology discusses the history and types in the United States and shows how the work of applied anthropologists is playing more of a role in the planning of possible solutions to various global social problems—including AIDS, disasters, homelessness, crime, family violence, and war.This book offers an introduction to anthropology, cultural variation, and using applied anthropology and medical anthropology to address global social problems.For individuals interested in exploring the far-reaching aspects of anthropology. ... Read more

Book Description

GREAT JOBS SERIES ANSWERS THE QUESTION "WHAT CAN I DO WITH A MAJOR IN . .

Customer Reviews (2)

Somewhat helpful
This book, while offering good advice for career paths in general, is not very useful for the Anthropology student.As a graduate of Anthropology I have been working for the last year in a job completely unrelated to my major.I am constantly searching for work and even internships or volunteer opportunities in Anthropology.Because I am having trouble finding work like this, I decided to buy this book.The only resources that they mentioned are things that I have already tried (such as the AAA website).While this book is good for most careers, it is not specific enough to help anyone in Anthropology when looking for a job in the field.

A Must Have for Anthropologists
Great Jobs for Anthropology Majors is a 'must-have' for those in Anthropology.This book covers a lot of ground concerning direction in such a vast field.It opens options outside of teaching and field work, aswell as helping you improve your part in the applying/hiring process.As agraduate of an Anthropology program myself, I found little help in findingwhat I wanted to do with my education and how to do it.This book answeredmany of those questions and gave me some direction in the use of myeducation.Although it would've been more helpfull when I was in college,it still helped me tremendously as a graduate.I highly recommend thisbook for those in Anthropology. ... Read more

Book Description
This text provides an introduction to the field of linguistic anthropology, which appeals to undergraduates from a wide variety of fields and at a wide variety of levels, from freshmen to seniors. This text comes with access to a companion website designed to make the intersection of linguistics and anthropology accessible and interesting to undergraduate students. In addition to THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF LANGUAGE, Harriet Ottenheimer has also creating a workbook/reader that is a perfect bundle option for this text. See the supplement section for details. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A keeper!
This book is 2-part.

The first part involves Physical Anthropology.

The second part is Cultural Anthropology.

I am very fortunate that my college uses this book for both courses: Physical and Cultural anthropology. You may get lucky too. Ask your professor if this book is used in more than one course before you sell it back.

There is (or should be in the new books) a CD that is included. This is a fantastic visual media that supplements the book nicely. Here is a hint however, go to the book's/author's website before purchasing this text new.

On another note, the book is so well written and is so up-to-date that I will be keeping it and referring back to it for many years to come.

The author recounts his own experiences throughout this text and is a well known and respected anthropologist. It may be worth your time to do a search for articles he has written by logging into anthrosource.com.
... Read more

Product Description
Through examples and hands-on exercises, this laboratory manual offers a basic, yet thorough, background in the main areas of an introductory physical anthropology lab course: genetics, evolutionary forces, human osteology,forensic anthropology, comparative/functional skeletal anatomy, primate behavior, and paleoanthropology. It may also be used as a text for an introductory laboratory course in physical or biological anthropology or serve as a supplementary text or workbook for a lecture class, particularly in the absence of a laboratory offering. It can be used with a minimum of laboratory materials. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good lab manual...
Great lab manual, but I was a little surprised when it arrived unbound.I just bought a 3-ring binder for it and it worked wonderfully!!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Encompassing and probing
A book of its time (60s-early 80s), but I'm glad I finally came to it. Generally it contrasts the theories and practices of western innovators (Stanislavski et. al., Brecht, Grotowski, Brooks) against the rituals and traditions of eastern institutions (Kathakali, Noh, Kabuki, ritual events of Bali, India, especially Ramlila). Fascinating diagrams accompany the discussion of performance theory. Loved the essays on performance in "Restoration of Behavior," and "Transported and Transformed." And for both the actor and director, the argument that performance exists somewhere between the "not-me and not-not-me" is compelling.

Victor Turner wrote the Forward.
Victor Turner wrote the forward to this book.

He is not its designer ... Read more

Book Description
Drawing on the author's research on Peruvian shamanism and organ transplantation in the United States, this book is a concise and readable introduction to medical anthropology. The author uses ethnographic material from South America and the U.S. to illustrate his key points: 1) that biology and culture matter equally in the human experience of disease; 2) that the political economy is a primary epidemiological factor; 3) that ethnography is an essential tool to understand human suffering due to disease; and 4) that medical anthropology can help to alleviate human suffering. Major topics include biological, social, and cultural interconnections in medicine and disease; anthropological questions and methods in the study of sickness and healing; healers and the healing professions; applications of medical anthropology; and ethical issues.For anyone interested in learning how biology and culture interact in the study and treatment of disease. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

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

Book Description
The Anthropology of Development and Globalization is a collection of readings that provides an unprecedented overview of this field that ranges from the field’s classical origins to today’s debates about the “magic” of the free market.

Book Description
Lassiter's concise introductory text to cultural anthropology offers a fresh and accessible approach for students. His message about the relevance of anthropology is timely and engaging, and he illustrates the varied and valuable applications of the anthropological perspective for real world problems on the local, regional, and global scale. This book is an ideal text for undergraduate students, and can be easily supplemented with case studies in anthropology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Engaging introduction to cultural anthropology
Lassiter's book is easy to read and engaging.It uses a storytelling style that works very well for learning some of the important events in the history of anthropology and understanding some of the core concepts the discipline uses to study culture.Highly recommended!

Ideal for non-specialist general readers
Invitation To Anthropology by Luke Eric Lassiter (Associate Professor of Anthropology, Ball State University) is an accessibly presented introductory text to the science of cultural anthropology, written especially for students considering this field of scholarship as a part of their overall academic studies. Individual chapters address the study how human cultures are shaped, beginning with the meaning of ethnography, and then moving on to issues of adaptation throughout history, gender issues, the role of family and kinship, the role of religion, and much, much more. Ideal for non-specialist general readers with a passing curiosity on the subject, Invitation To Anthropology is confidently recommended as being a quite practical, well-researched and solid beginning manual to this diverse and fascinating field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Globalization is complex
I disagree with the other reviewers. The study of anthropology often creates more questions than answers--that is why the field intrigues me. As for the reviewer wanting a simpler treatment of the subject... Fine in theory, but globalization is COMPLEX. The introduction of the book offers some themes to observe and asserts that 1) Globalization is not only about passive receivers of global imperialism. 2) Global ideas and products flow in many ways (not just core to the periphery). 3) Many circuits of globalization circumvent the west (or global north). The subsequent chapters then follow these threads.

I come from a critical background (i.e. that globalization is evil), but the examples in the book show that not all aspects of globalization are troubling. As for Appadurai and invention of words... keep giving the chapter another read. The man is simply (complexly?) a beautiful writer.

Creates more questions than answers
I read this book in a "Political and Economic Anthropology" class and found it to be somewhat disappointing.Cultural anthropology, by its very nature, is case study oriented, so it is no surprise that the articles focus on many different places and situations, many of which are interesting to read.However, I think the book failed to pull all the very diverse articles together and come out with a point or thesis for the anthology as a whole.

Throughout much of the reading, even after classroom discussions, I found myself asking "so what's the point?", "what is this book supposed to be teaching me about globalization in general?", "what does this particular article have to say about the broader processes involved with globalization?", etc...The introduction, written by the editors, is a good introduction to the concepts of globalization.The second article by Appadurai is theoretical in nature, but is almost incomprehensible.He uses so much jargon (and even some made-up words) and allusions to other theories that unless you already know what he's trying to say, his article will do little more than frustrate you.The remainder of the articles deal with individual case studies by various researchers.

This anthology contains some interesting articles that give glimpses into how some people and cultures are affected by and interacting with forces of globalization.In that regard, it is pretty good.However, if you are looking for an approachable, theoretical introduction to globalization from an anthropological standpoint which augments it argument with case studies (as oppose to just including them obstensibly for their own sake), you might want to look elsewhere

Disappointing
Characteristic of this reader is the bothersome overlap of topics. It dramatically fails to give insight in theories of globalization itself and the link between these theories and global reality. After studying this reader even experienced students of Anthropology will give anything for something that is less grandiloquent and more useful because of it's simplicity. ... Read more

Book Description
Explore the most fascinating, creative, dangerous, and complex species alive today: you and your neighbors in the global village. With compelling photos, engaging examples, and select studies by anthropologists in far-flung places, the authors of ANTHROPOLOGY: The Human Challenge provide a holistic view of anthropology to help you make sense of today's world. With this text you will discover the different ways humans face the challenge of existence, the connection between biology and culture in the shaping of human behavior, and the impact of globalization on peoples and cultures around the world. ... Read more

Book Description
This concise introduction to biological (physical) anthropology discusses the core areas of the discipline within a unique framework modeled on the scientific method. 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. ... Read more