The perfect starting point for any student new to this fascinating subject, offering a serious yet accessible introduction to anthropology.

Across a series of fourteen chapters, Introducing Anthropology addresses the different fields and approaches within anthropology, covers an extensive range of themes and emphasizes the active role and promise of anthropology in the world today. The new edition foregrounds in particular the need for anthropology in understanding and addressing today's environmental crisis, as well as the exciting developments of digital anthropology.

This book has been designed by two authors with a passion for teaching and a commitment to communicating the excitement of anthropology to newcomers. Each chapter includes clear explanations of classic and contemporary anthropological research and connects anthropological theories to real-life issues at the local and global levels. The vibrancy and importance of anthropology is a core focus of the book, with numerous interviews with key anthropologists about their work and the discipline as a whole, and plenty of ethnographic studies to consider and use as inspiration for readers' own personal investigations. A clear glossary, a range of activities and discussion points, and carefully selected further reading and suggested ethnographic films further support and extend students' learning.

Introducing Anthropology aims to inspire and enthuse a new generation of anthropologists. It is suitable for a range of different readers, from students studying the subject at school-level to university students looking for a clear and engaging entry point into anthropology.

Autorentext

Laura Pountney delivers teaching training for secondary education and is the author of a number of anthropology and sociology textbooks. She teaches at Colchester Sixth Form College

Tomislav Mari is Assistant Head Teacher at Bentley Wood High School

Inhalt

Preface Who is This Book For?

What Makes Us Human?

Culture: Universality and Diversity

Ethnographic Research

How to Use This Book

Acknowledgements

1 What Makes Us Human?

Key issues and debates

How Did Humans Evolve?

Cultural Evolution

How Do Humans Vary? The Concept of Race and a Critique of the Concept

Conclusion

2 Research Methods

Key issues and debates

Ethnography

Digital Anthropology

Conclusion

3 The Body

Key issues and debates

Body Modifications and Decorations

Body Types

Anthropological Theories of the Body

Symbolic Classification and the Body: The Body and Society

Conclusion

4 Ways of Thinking and Communicating

Key issues and debates

Classification

Explaining Events

Language

Nonverbal Communication

Human Communication before Writing: Oral Traditions

How Are Modern Technologies Affecting Communication?

Conclusion

5 Social Relations

Key issues and debates

Social Class, Caste, Gender, Age

Kinship

Marriage Patterns

Kinship Relationships with Nonhuman Species and Objects

The Effect of Technological Advances on Definitions of Kinship

Using Objects to Express Social Relations.

The Spread of Capitalism

Conclusion

6 Engaging with Nature

Key issues and debates

Cultural Practices in Relation to the Environment

The Nature versus Culture Debate

The Relationship between Humans and Animals

Anthropology and Climate Crisis

Conclusion

7 Personhood

Key issues and debates

Development of the Western Philosophical Concept of Personhood

Examples of Concepts of Personhood

How is Personhood Expressed and Understood by Anthropologists?

Personhood and Boundaries.

Conclusion

8 Identity

Key issues and debates

How Do Anthropologists Understand Identification?

Social Memory: 'Folk' Memory-Making

Language

Music

Shaping Group Identities

Conclusion

9 Ritual

Key issues and debates

Types of Ritual

Functions of Rituals

Anthropological Approaches to Ritual

Political Rituals

Rites of Passage

Conclusion

10 Gender

Key issues and debates

Gender and Biology

Feminism

Queer Theory

Gender, Relationships and Power

Alternative Gender Identities

Conclusion

11 Boundaries

Key issues and debates

Boundaries and Bodies

Boundaries between Ethnic Groups

Boundaries between Humans and Cyborgs

Conclusion

12 Globalization

Key issues and debates

The History of Globalization

How Do Anthropologists Study Globalization?

Anthropology of Tourism

The Impact of Globalization

Creolization

Does Globalization Lead to Homogeneity?

Globalization and Migration

Consequences of the Global Economy

Local and Global Impacts of Globalization

Conclusion

13 The Role of Material Culture

Key issues and debates

What Is Material Culture?

Archaeology, Anthropology and the Role of Material Culture

Are Digital Objects Material?

Aesthetics: The Culturally Constructed Nature of Beauty

How Do Material Objects Symbolize Relationships?

Theories of Material Culture

Material Objects Used to Communicate and Negotiate Identity

The Representation of Material Culture

Conclusion

14 Applied Anthropology

Key issues and debates

What is Applied Anthropology?

Advocacy in Anthropology

Applied Anthropology and Public Health

Ethics and Applied Anthropology

The American Anthropological Association

Examples of Applied Anthropology

Anthropologists' Testimonies and Case Studies

Conclusion

Key Terms

References

Ethnographic Films

Websites

Index