Social and Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short Introduction

I am very familiar with the study of medicine but I would argue that the topic ,in this book, is not usually a part of the teachings of especially, Biomedicine. It should thus be a requirement in the related curriculum as I am of the opinion that the application of the inherent science is, would be, beneficial to recipients of the care.The facts of the various types of differences in people are made very clear and obvious in the subject book. The enumerated differences that are addressed in the book are so intriguing and seemingly so a propos. It should behove all specialists to concentrate on these principles. The book is rare and special.It informs people in our society of matters of large importance when it comes to the delivery of care,in fact, most important matters which are not commonly known. it therefore makes the reading of this book a must. The readings are educational, and it is most important to acquire the respective knowledge, a requirement which this book magnificiently contains and offers. to be sure,I learnt a lot from it.

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 covers theoretical 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.

As stated by both authors, this book is very short, so it serves to give the reader only a glimpse of what anthropologists do. They spend excruciatingly long time with the populations they want to study ("exotic societies", urban settings - like big corporations), be part of them, and try to observe in a way as objective as possible. Such prolonged observations are necessary to provide key insights into the working and psyche of the communities being studied. One chapter (Ch.3) is devoted on "culture". Various ways to define "culture" are propounded. By looking into various different cultures, it can be concluded that "each person is simultaneously like some other people, like all other people, and like no other person" (p.40). In the same chapter, the authors try to explain the concept of "Cultural Relativism". Unfortunately, they use a most objectionable example of female circumcision to illustrate their point (p. 51-52), which is erroreous particularly when we now know is a practice that, quite obviously, produces immense psychological trauma. The chapter (Ch.4) on marriage as the way societies regulate sex is informative and consistent with evoultionary psychology. The authors' interpretation of Genesis 38:8-10 is simultaneously amusing and insightful and particularly apt. Ch.5 is devoted on group identity (including non-kin groups, "ethnicity", and "race") and it provides food for thought to those who do not believe in "group selection" at all. The last three chapters are on economy (which includes the authors' short criticism on globilization), religion, and the concept of self-hood. How convincing these chapters are readers can decide themselves. In summary, a short interesting book, to be read with a tiny pinch of salt.

I wanted my 100th review for Amazon to be for something I could wholeheartedly recommend, and this is it. The authors manage, within severe space restrictions, to convey the essential features of their discipline, an outline of its history and development, and an indication of the philosophical and moral issues that it raises. Monaghan's work with the Mixtec of Central America and Just's work with the Dou Donggo of Indonesia are used as sources for the anecdotal details that are used throughout the book to illustrate aspects of anthropology. This is very much a description of anthropology as a practical endeavor, a hands-on discipline whose theories are firmly grounded in the everyday lives of human beings. Broader theoretical contexts, such as are found in Marxism or Structuralism, are touched on but no more. Those are the things you go on to read about after your appetite has been whetted by an excellent introduction such as this.

So I am a current student. I bought this book because it was a required text for the class Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. I feel like it does a good job at letting you know about the field of anthropology and the influential people it included. It talks briefly about the different components of culture and anthropology. Sometimes I wish it would have elaborated more about certain things. I also founded it quite opinionated but I could be wrong. It's super portable, so that's a plus.

This is a great read for someone (like myself) who has no previous knowledge or education in Anthropology and wants to get a basic understanding of it. It is an easy to read book without too much technically based jargon. It has opened my mind to a new field and has actually encouraged me to do even further reading on the subject. I highly recommend it.

This book was co-written by the chair of our Anthropology dept. at UIC. I meet him in 2003. Unbeknownst to me at the time- he had co-authored this book. I just now purchased it as a course book for an MA in Applied Linguistics I am working on at the University of Nottingham in England.This book falls into the category of the top 5 books that I have read- and I have read over 3,000 non-fiction books!

This book offers a good overview of anthropology with specific experiences from the authors that serve as starting point or as reinforcements to a particular subject.

I studied foreign languages and literature in Italy, but we never took an exam on anthropology. So I've always wanted to know at least a bit about it, but I was afraid to find a book that was too difficult to read on my own. This book is actually easy to approach even if one has never heard about the subject, so I would recommend it to anybody who would like to be introduced to this discipline in an easy way.

This was my first text as an introduction to Anthropology. Found it very useful as it gave an excellent understanding of what is it that anthropologists do and study. The text explains Social and Cultural Anthropology like a guided tour of the experiences of field-workers in anthropology giving references to contributions of famous anthropologists. A suggested first book for anthropology students. Complete it in a single go. Dont worry about aspects of anthropology it isn't touching like the physical or biological part - you will get the hang of it when you pick up any four-field introductory textbook.

Super livre pour s’introduire à l’anthropologie. Anglais nécessairement un peu technique.

Easy to follow book that serves as a great introduction into the field and has you constantly thinking and eager to read more!

passt!