Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology

by Lavenda, Robert; Schultz, Emily

• ISBN13: 9780073530987
• ISBN10: 0073530980
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-02-13
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

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 Anthropologyoffers 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..

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Anthropology	p. 1
An Anthropological Perspective	p. 2
The Subfields of Anthropology	p. 3
Is Anthropology a Science? Modernism, Postmodernism, and Beyond	p. 10
Reflexive Anthropology	p. 11
Culture	p. 15
Culture Against Racism: The Early Twentieth Century	p. 16
The Evolution of Culture	p. 19
Culture and Symbolism	p. 21
Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism	p. 23
The Boundaries of Culture?	p. 25
The Concept of Culture in a Global World: Problems and Practices	p. 27
Culture: Contemporary Discussion and Debate	p. 30
Culture: A Contemporary Consensus	p. 32
Language	p. 33
Studying Language: A Historical Sketch	p. 34
The Building Blocks of Language	p. 37
Language and Culture	p. 39
Language and Society	p. 41
Discourse	p. 44
Language Contact and Change	p. 47
Culture and the Individual	p. 51
From Individualism to Agency	p. 52
Culture and Personality	p. 54
Enculturation	p. 56
The Self	p. 59
Cognition and Cognitive Anthropology	p. 61
Cognitive Styles	p. 63
Emotion	p. 64
Expressive Culture: Religion, Worldview, and Art	p. 67
Religion	p. 68
Myth	p. 71
Ritual	p. 72
Magic and Witchcraft	p. 75
Religious Practitioners	p. 80
Change in Religious Systems	p. 81
Art	p. 83
The Anthropology of Media	p. 86
The Dimensions of Social Organization	p. 89
What Is Social Organization?	p. 90
Dimensions of Social Organization	p. 92
Caste and Class	p. 96
Race	p. 100
Ethnicity	p. 101
Gender	p. 103
Sexuality	p. 106
Political Anthropology	p. 109
Power	p. 110
Political Ecology and Political Economy	p. 112
Disputes and Dispute Resolution	p. 114
Forms of Political Organization	p. 116
Social Stratification	p. 119
Forms of Political Activity	p. 120
Social Control and Law	p. 123
Nationalism and Hegemony	p. 125
Economic Anthropology	p. 131
The "Arts of Subsistence"	p. 132
Subsistence Strategies	p. 133
Explaining the Material Life Processes of Society	p. 136
Modes of Exchange	p. 139
Production, Distribution, and Consumption	p. 141
Mode of Production	p. 143
Peasants	p. 144
Consumption	p. 148
Relatedness: Kinship and Descent	p. 153
Kinship Versus Biology	p. 154
Descent	p. 156
Bilateral Descent	p. 157
Unilineal Descent	p. 159
Kinship Terminologies	p. 163
Marriage and Family	p. 167
What Is Marriage?	p. 168
Whom to Marry and Where to Live	p. 169
How Many Spouses?	p. 171
Marriage as Alliance	p. 173
Family	p. 175
Globalization and the Culture of Capitalism	p. 179
The Cultural Legacy of Colonialism	p. 180
Analyzing Sociocultural Change in the Postcolonial World	p. 183
Globalization	p. 189
The Cultural Effects of Contact	p. 192
Globalization, Citizenship, and Human Rights	p. 195
Theory in Cultural Anthropology	p. 201
Anthropology as Science	p. 202
Nineteenth-Century Approaches	p. 203
Early-Twentieth-Century Approaches	p. 205
Mid-Twentieth-Century Approaches	p. 209
Late-Twentieth-Century Debates	p. 218
New Directions in the Twenty-First Century	p. 222
Reading Ethnography	p. 227
The Parts of an Ethnography	p. 227
The Use of Indigenous and Local Terms	p. 231
The Photographs	p. 232
Why Are You Reading This Ethnography (and How Should You Read It)?	p. 234
Bibliography	p. 239
Index	p. 250
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