Full Description
Designed for courses that make extensive use of ethnographies and other supplementary readings, this is a concise introduction to the basic ideas and practices of contemporary cultural anthropology. Not a standard textbook, Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology, Sixth Edition, is more of an annotated bibliography of the terms and concepts that anthropologists use in their work. The book prepares students to read ethnographies more effectively and with greater understanding.
Contents
PrefaceChapter 1. Anthropology1.1 An Anthropological Perspective1.2 The Subfields of Anthropology1.3 Is Anthropology a Science? Modernism, Postmodernism, and Beyond1.4 Reflexive Anthropology1.5 Moral AnthropologyChapter 2. Culture2.1 Culture Against Racism: The Early Twentieth Century2.2 The Evolution of Culture2.3 Culture and Symbolism2.4 Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism2.5 The Boundaries of Culture?2.6 The Concept of Culture in a Global World: Problems and Practices2.7 Culture: Contemporary Discussion and Debate2.8 Culture: A Contemporary ConsensusChapter 3. Meaning-Making and Language3.1 Making Meaning3.2 Studying Language: A Historical Sketch3.3 The Building Blocks of Language3.4 Language and Culture3.5 Language and Society3.6 Discourse3.7 Language Contact and Change3.8 Meaning Making and Art3.9 The Anthropology of Media and the ArtsChapter 4. World View and Religion4.1 Religion4.2 Myth4.3 Ritual4.4 Magic and Witchcraft4.5 Religious Practitioners4.6 Change in Religious Systems4.7 Secularism, Fundamentalism, and New Religious MovementsChapter 5. The Dimensions of Social Organization5.1 What Is Social Organization?5.2 Dimensions of Social Organization5.3 Caste and Class5.4 Race5.5 EthnicityChapter 6. Sex, Gender, and Sexuality6.1 Sex, Gender and Feminism in the Twentieth Century6.2 Sex, Gender, Race and Class6.3 Gender Performativity6.4 Theoretical Diversity in Studies of Sex and Gender6.5 Sex, Gender and the Body6.6 Sex, Gender and Sexuality6.7 Sex, Gender and Sexuality in Ethnographic ContextChapter 7. Relatedness: Kinship, Marriage, Family, and Friendship7.1 Kinship Versus Biology7.2 Descent7.3 Bilateral Descent7.4 Unilineal Descent7.5 Kinship Terminologies7.6 What Is Marriage?7.7 Whom to Marry and Where to Live7.8 How Many Spouses?7.9 Marriage as Alliance7.10 Family7.11 Divorce7.12 FriendshipChapter 8. Political Anthropology8.1 Power8.2 Political Ecology and Political Economy8.3 Disputes and Dispute Resolution8.4 Forms of Political Organization8.5 Social Stratification8.6 Forms of Political Activity8.7 Social Control and Law8.8 Nationalism and HegemonyChapter 9. Economic Anthropology9.1 The "Arts of Subsistence"9.2 Subsistence Strategies9.3 Explaining the Material Life Processes of Society9.4 Modes of Exchange9.5 Production, Distribution, and Consumption9.6 Mode of Production9.7 Peasants9.8 Consumption9.9 The Anthropology of Food and NutritionChapter 10. Globalization10.1 The Cultural Legacy of Colonialism10.2 Analyzing Sociocultural Change in the Postcolonial World10.3 Globalization10.4 The Cultural Effects of Contact10.5 Globalization, Citizenship, and Human Rights10.6 Global AssemblagesChapter 11. The Anthropology of Science, Technology, and Medicine11.1 Science and Anthropology11.2 Anthropology, Science, and Technology11.3 The Anthropology of Medicine11.4 Human Health in Evolutionary Context11.5 Human Health and Nutrition11.6 Health and Human Reproduction11.7 Sickness and Health in the Global Capitalist EconomyChapter 12. Theory in Cultural Anthropology12.1 Anthropology as Science12.2 Nineteenth-Century Approaches12.3 Early-Twentieth-Century Approaches12.4 Mid-Twentieth-Century Approaches12.5 Late-Twentieth-Century Approaches12.6 New Directions in the Twenty-First CenturyAppendix: Reading EthnographyThe Parts of an EthnographyThe Use of Indigenous and Local TermsThe PhotographsWhy Are You Reading This Ethnography (and How Should You Read It)?BibliographyIndex
