Product Description
"If you want to know what anthropology is, look at what anthropologists do," write the authors of Social and Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short Introduction.This engaging overview of the field combines an accessible account of some of the discipline's guiding principles and methodology with abundant examples and illustrations of anthropologists at work.

Peter Just and John Monaghan begin by discussing anthropology's most important contributions to modern thought: its investigation of culture as a distinctively human characteristic, its doctrine of cultural relativism, and its methodology of fieldwork and ethnography. Drawing on examples from their own fieldwork in Indonesia and Mesoamerica, they examine specific ways in which social and cultural anthropology have advanced our understanding of human society and culture. Including an assessment of anthropology's present position, and a look forward to its likely future, Social and Cultural Anthropology will make fascinating reading for anyone curious about this social science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Great Book
I really love amazon; I got the book in only 2 days, just in time for me to read it for my Cultural Anthropology class. The book itself is very interesting and not only does it give you information on anthropology, it also contains stories from 2 anthropologist which makes it all the more interesting and easy to understand.

Short, yet pretty comprehensive intro
I read this book (along with other selected readings) for a beginning anthropology course at my school. The students in my class seem to agree that it is a good book because although it is thought provoking it doesn't read like a text book. The writing style is very clear yet still scholarly. I would recommend having a copy of this book if you are taking any anthropology course because its a handy reference!

Excellent Introduction
This has proven to be both a very interesting introduction and nothing like what I expected.It seems that a great many of academic fields are confined to the ivory tower.This book emphasizes ethnographic field work.I would recommend to anyone interesting in learning more about anthropology.

My only criticism:I wish the authors had focused more on the distinctions between the different subfields of anthropology.It would have been nice to have a clearer understanding of how Social/Cultural Anthropology differs from, say, physical anthropology.

All in all, very engaging and interesting read.

using this for undergrads
After disheartening forays into text books and frustration at readers that are either too thematic or otherwise not quite right for a quick orientation in the discipline, I decided to check this out.This is about as perfect a scene-setter as I could ask for for either an intro course or any course that is likely to attract students who do not have an anthropological background.It's pocket-sized, it's affordable, it's readable, and it's SMART.It coverstheoretical debates in a straight-forward and understandable way that shows why anyone should care about evolution vs. diffusion (to name one example).This little book as does about a good a job as any at showing how (and why) anthropologists and others use the word "post-modernity" (pg 69). The field examples are well chosen and engaging. The chapters are of a length and written in a style students are likely to read.Even better, the authors give enough tantalizing detail that I suspect it will inspire students to read MORE.

A very good Introduction
The first time I laid my hands on this little pocket size book I could not put it away until I drained out all its information. This book really gave a very concise idea about anthropology and its subfields. The authors provided valuable first hand examples about their experiences as anthropologists and ethnographers. This book is perfect for those who would like to get a brief understanding of what anthropology is about and also good for experts because the authors managed to incorporate some of the most relevant anthropologists. ... Read more

Product Description
There has been much discussion in recent years about the construction of theoretical models useful in the explanation of particular areas of social organization. This volume charts that discussion and its results and covers a wide ethnographic range from the Pacific Island of Truk through African pastoral societies, south-east Asia and Hong Kong, back to Polynesia.
First published in 1965. ... Read more

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This book is a comparative study of caste and class in two small villages in the Thanjāvūr district of southeast India based on fieldwork done by the author in 1951-3. Differing from the usual village study, Gough's work traces the history of the villages over the past century and examines the impact of colonialism on the district since 1770. The volume's theoretical significance lies in its attempt to define more clearly the characteristics of rural class relations, particularly addressing the question whether Indian agrarian relations are still precapitalist. This study not only provides a vivid account of village life in southeast India in the 1950s (to be followed by a later study done in the 1970s), but also contributes to theory concerning modes of production, class structures in the Third World, and underdevelopment. ... Read more

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"A thoroughgoing introduction for the intelligent reader—written in a highly accessible style, with plenty of excellent examples and clear, sound argumentation. Hendry has done an outstanding job of laying out her vision of the important theoretical positions in cultural and social anthropology, while also telling us about their weaknesses. Her book is not merely a copy of earlier efforts of a similar sort but represents some careful, productive, and highly intelligent rethinking of the priorities."
—Michael Herzfeld, Harvard University

Sharing Our Worlds offers the perfect introduction to cultural and social anthropology for anyone approaching the subject for the first time. Hendry introduces classic theoretical ideas of the key founders of cultural and social anthropology, placing them in their historical and geographical context. Carefully structured so that one chapter builds on the next, Sharing Our Worlds covers the core topics in an even-handed and illuminating manner, introducing the reader to divergent views on all the most basic subjects-food, hygiene, gift-exchange, rites of passage, symbolism, religion, politics, and the environment-and raising awareness of the emotional value people place on those views. Covering a wide array of countries, it brings the subject of cultural and social anthropology right into the neighborhood of the reader, wherever they are in the world.

Written in a refreshingly accessible style, Sharing Our Worlds offers a compelling introduction to an enigmatic and exciting subject, drawing out its relevance and value for the complex multicultural world in which we live.

Product Description
The product of a collaboration between leading theorists in law and anthropology, this book develops an innovative analysis of legal practices. Specifically, it focuses on how law constructs persons and things, and develops new approaches to the question of ownership. These approaches are of particular value in understanding the cultural impact of biotechnology. At the same time, they illuminate the history of Western law, and develop thought-provoking comparisons between Western law and Islamic law. ... Read more

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Publisher: London : Cohen ... Read more

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This new text for courses in Medical Anthropology, one of the hottest areas in the discipline as a whole, looks at CULTURAL definitions of health to look at health itself--which means that it is not so much about healing/medicine as it is about the entire social/cultural construct of health. The text attempts to bridge the gap between physical and cultural approaches to medical anthropology. ... Read more

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The focus of this book is medicines (swallowed, injected, rubbed on), as understood by anthropologists concerned solely with their social uses. The text begins with examples of a mother medicating a child in various cultural contexts and ends with a broad review of the complex elements that determine the production and use of medicines. Since 1993, Cambridge Studies in Medical Anthropology has offered researchers and instructors monographs and edited collections of leading scholarship in one of the most lively and popular subfields of cultural and social anthropology. Beginning in 2002, the CSMA series presents theme booksworks that synthesize emerging scholarship from relatively new subfields or that reinterpret the literature of older ones. Designed as course material for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and for professionals in related areas (physicians, nurses, public health workers, and medical sociologists), these theme books will demonstrate how work in medical anthropology is carried out and convey the importance of a given topic for a wide variety of readers. About 160 pages in length, the theme books are not simply staid reviews of the literature. They are, instead, new ways of conceptualizing topics in medical anthropology that take advantage of current research and the growing edges of the field. ... Read more

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This new edition of the highly-acclaimed Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology provides a unique guide to the ideas, arguments and history of the discipline. Combining anthropological theory and ethnography, it includes 275 substantial entries, over 300 short biographies of important figures in anthropology, and nearly 600 glossary items.

The new entries reflects the move into the centre of traditional subdisciplines like medical anthropology; recent work around issues of gender and sexuality; and anthropology’s new ethnographic engagement with central institutions of the modern world including finance and science. Anthropology is now a global discipline, so the second edition celebrates other traditions of anthropological work (Japanese anthropology, Latin American anthropology) as well as the complex processes of globalization itself.

Authoritative entries have been commissioned from among the world’s leading anthropologists. Alphabetically organized, the main entries contain clear, concise and provocative explanations of key anthropological themes and ideas, as well as surveys of the most important ethnographic regions and regional traditions of ethnographic research. Each major entry contains cross-references and a list further reading.

Areas covered include, among others:

• AIDS, ethics, violence, war
• Affect, emotions, the body
• Kinship, relatedness, the person, gender, the body
• Politics, nationalism and the state
• Cosmopolitanism, migration, race, transnationalism
• Art, language, aesthetics, film, text
• Relations with other disciplines
• History of anthropology and national traditions

Customer Reviews (3)

Do not buy the Kindle Edition
The Kindle edition of this encyclopedia does not have live links between the table of contents and the entries in the main text.Consequently it is impossible to look for an entry on a particular subject, which makes it rather useless as an encyclopedia.The publishers should figure out how to format digital content before trying to sell it.

Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology
I am studying anthropological courses in the university and bought the encyclopedia to help and guide me through the new terms I encountered. For these purposes I found this book extremely unhelpful. This is definitely not a book for students, those who start studying anthropology, but rather for those who already know a lot about the science.

For example, here is the definition of essentialism:

"Essentialism commonly appears as both a violation of anthropological relativism and one of the besetting conceptual sins of anthropology. Exemplified by such totalizing ideologies as nationalims and biological determinism, it is also frequently conflated with reification, objectivism and literalism". Etc.

For me in order to understand this definition, I need to read 3-4 page articles in the same encyclopedia about: relativism, biological determinism, objectivism, literalism. And even after that I don't think I will be able to understand what the authors wanted to say by this definition. And its the same almost about every other term or concept I was looking up.

Of course, if you are familiar with all these terms - it is easy, but then do you really need this encyclopedia.

A frustrating experience for me. This publication is collecting dust on a shelf now, and I turned to more popular publications, like "What is anthropology" (terms are explained in a much more accessible language), "Understanding social and cultural anthropology", etc. And... never underestimate wikipedia, the best for me as a student.

Would strongly not recommmend this book for students and whoever is starting to learn anthropology. Will advise it to my anthropology university professor with 20 years teaching experience, he may find it interesting.

Max

A loyal friend
This book is invaluable. Whatever be your interest in anthropology, this will serve as a comprehensive guide and jumping off point for all areas of the discipline.It is easy to follow, well-written and full of references for further reading.Although it is not suitable for in-depth study (as the title suggests, it is an encyclopedia), it is a fantastic aid for clarifying and summarizing a broad spectrum of topics. For students and the novice, this book is a gem, just don't rely on it to get you through your exams. ... Read more

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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.

Product Description
This Reader offers a remarkable overview of the field of law and anthropology: its development, present, and potential future courses.

• Edited by a preeminent anthropologist, lawyer, and pioneer in the study of law & anthropology.
  
• Brings together classics of political thought and key contemporary work from social scientists and lawyers.
  
• Explores historical issues and more contemporary ones such as illegal migration, human rights, gender discrimination, political corruption, and reparations for injustices committed by previous regimes.

Product Description

Social and Cultural Anthropology: The Key Concepts is an easy to use A-Z guide to the central disciplines students will encounter in this field. Fully updated, the second edition includes new entries on:

• aesthetics
• egalitarianism
• the everyday
• landscape
• power
• the state.

With full cross-referencing and revised further reading highlighting the latest writings in Social and Cultural Anthropology, this is the ideal resource for anyone studying or teaching this subject.

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This unprecedented collection of articles is an introduction to the study of cultural variations in childhood across the world and to the theoretical frameworks for investigating and interpreting them.

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"A thoroughgoing introduction for the intelligent reader-written in a highly accessible style, with plenty of excellent examples and clear, sound argumentation. Hendry has done an outstanding job of laying out her vision of the important theoretical positions in cultural and social anthropology, while also telling us about their weaknesses. Her book is not merely a copy of earlier efforts of a similar sort but represents some careful, productive, and highly intelligent rethinking of the priorities."

--Michael Herzfeld, Harvard University

Other People's Worlds offers the perfect introduction to cultural and social anthropology for anyone approaching the subject for the first time. Hendry introduces classic theoretical ideas of the key founders of cultural and social anthropology, placing them in their historical and geographical context. Carefully structured so that one chapter builds on the next, Other People's Worlds covers the core topics in an even-handed and illuminating manner, introducing the reader to divergent views on all the most basic subjects-food, hygiene, gift-exchange, rites of passage, symbolism, religion, politics, and the environment-and raising awareness of the emotional value people place on those views. Covering a wide array of countries, it brings the subject of cultural and social anthropology right into the neighborhood of the reader, wherever they are in the world.

Combining an abundance of references and further readings for the serious student with an immensely readable and engaging writing style, Other People's Worlds offers a compelling introduction to an enigmatic and exciting subject, drawing out its relevance and value for the complex multicultural world in which we live.

... Read more

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This supplementary reader offers both historical and contemporary articles that demonstrate the nature of biological anthropology.With nearly one-third of the selections focusing on living populations, the 43 readings cover the entire range of bioanthropological studies:evolution, nonhuman primates, human paleontology, and modern human groups. Twelve of the 43 articles are new to this edition, including Kari Bruwelheide and Douglas Owsley's "Written in Bone: Reading the Remains of the 17th Century"; Carl Zimmer's "What is a Species?"; Daniel E. Lieberman's "Homing In On Early Homo"; and Sally Lehrman's "Going Beyond X and Y." ... Read more

Product Description
Social Movements: An Anthropological Reader expands on standard studies of social movements by offering a collection of writings that is exclusively anthropological in nature and global in its focus-thereby serving as an invaluable tool for instructors and students alike.

• Based on fieldwork carried out on four continents - North America, South America, Africa, and Asia - and in 14 countries
  
• Includes articles that address problems ranging from global health and the spread of diseases; loss of control over basic resources such as water and fuel; militarization; to the repression of indigenous peoples and of women
  
• Offers solutions formulated by local peoples

Product Description
Linguistic Anthropology: A Reader is a comprehensive collection of the best work that has been published in this exciting and growing area of anthropology, and is organized to provide a guide to key issues in the study of language as a cultural resource and speaking as a cultural practice.

• Revised and updated, this second edition contains eight new articles on key subjects, including speech communities, the power and performance of language, and narratives
• Selections are both historically oriented and thematically coherent, and are accessibly grouped according to four major themes: speech community and communicative competence; the performance of language; language socialization and literacy practices; and the power of language
• An extensive introduction provides an original perspective on the development of the field and highlights its most compelling issues
• Each section includes a brief introductory statement, sets of guiding questions, and list of recommended readings on the main topics

Customer Reviews (2)

Language is Power
I just finished reading Alesandro Duranti's 1997 book for my linguistic anthropology core class. I wanted to take the opportunity here to comment on this book. A. Duranti goes through all of the major theoretical underpinnings and morphological manifestations that the discipline has endured since its inception from the likes of Boas and Sapir in the early 20th century. It has changed and gone through many necessary changes during its lifetime. In order to truly place our finger on the intentions of the "other," we must strive to open a dialogue with the "other" through the practice of speaking, analysis of discourse, and make assumptions based on interpretations to better understand the cultural baggage each one of us carries. This is healthy and natural, and summarizes what it means to be human. Linguistic anthropology taps into human psychology, and the social enterprise in many ways that I have never been able to imagine. A. Duranti eloquently explains linguistic anthropology's rightful place as a science and a discipline worthy of perpetuation in posterity. I sincerely hope others read it in order to assist in this perpetuation of what it means to be human through the practice of speaking.

Liked its approach
Reading this book I felt Duranti to be less of a linguist and more of an anthropologist--which I found to be a useful approach, giving quite a different perspective on the field than, for example, William Foley's book of similar title. Especially interesting were the sections on fieldworkmethodology and ethics, a topic which I haven't seen covered in other bookson linguistic anthropology. However, some of the linguistic stuff couldhave been explained in more detail, and Duranti doesn't include as much onrecent perspectives as some others. ... 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
This concise and affordable introduction to the basic ideas and practices of contemporary cultural anthropology addresses the needs of anthropology professors who make extensive use of ethnographies and other supplementary readings in their courses. Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology offers a thorough annotated bibliography of the terms and concepts that anthropologists use in their work, while its conceptual and theoretical framework prepares students to read ethnography more effectively. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology (Purchased on 08/07/2010)
Never received the book. College is started a long time ago and purchase has to be cancelled after contacts made and money refunded

Good Book
The book is much smaller that I was expecting.It came with some markings and a curled cover, but the material is great.

Cultural Anthropology
The delivery of the book was timely, it arrived in very good condition.I am very pleased with the transaction.

Good Readings
This is considered my textbook for my Anthropology Class and I have to read it. Even though I'm pretty much required to read it, I don't find much of a problem with that. It's a pretty easy read. The structure is good.

Outstanding overview
The authors of this book emphasize that it should be used in conjunction with collections of ethnographies and other volumes. With that in mind, this is an exceptionally clear, useful, and well-considered book about cultural anthropology. The authors have done an outstanding job of making complex theories and ideas accessible in a short amount of space.

I recommend this book for anyone seeking to learn the overall outlines or remind themselves of the major ideas in cultural anthropology. I am VERY glad I bought it! ... Read more