Small Places, Large Issues - Second Edition: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology

by Eriksen

• ISBN13: 9780745317731
• ISBN10: 0745317731
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-04-20
• Publisher: Pluto Press

Summary

Ranging from the Pacific islands to the Arctic north and from small villages to modern nation states, this concise introduction to social and cultural anthropology reveals the rich global variation in social life and culture. The text also provides a clear overview of anthropology, focusing on central topics such as kinship, ethnicity, ritual and political systems, offering a wealth of examples that demonstrate the enormous scope of anthropology and the importance of a comparative perspective. Unlike previous texts on the subject, Small Places, Large Issues broadens the study to incorporate the anthropology of complex modern societies, thus providing a unique key text for all students of social and cultural anthropology. Using reviews of key monographs to illustrate his argument, Eriksen's lucid and accessible text remains an established introductory text in anthropology. This new edition is updated throughout and includes a new chapter on the history of anthropology. It also shows clearly and comprehensively, through numerous new examples, why classic studies of small-scale societies are relevant for the study of complex phenomena such as nationalism, consumption and the Internet. In this way, the book bridges an often perceived gap between "classic" and "contemporary" anthropology.

Author Biography

Thomas H. Eriksen is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Preface to the second edition	p. ix
Introduction: Comparison and Context	p. 1
A Brief History of Anthropology	p. 9
Fieldwork and its Interpretation	p. 24
The Social Person	p. 40
Local Organisation	p. 58
Person and Society	p. 73
Kinship as Descent	p. 93
Marriage and Alliance	p. 108
Gender and Age	p. 124
Social Hierarchies	p. 142
Politics and Power	p. 157
Exchange	p. 176
Production and Technology	p. 193
Religion and Ritual	p. 209
Modes of Thought	p. 227
The Challenge of Multiple Traditions	p. 245
Ethnicity	p. 261
The Politics of Identity: Nationalism and Minorities	p. 275
The Global, the Local and the Glocal	p. 294
Epilogue: And So What?	p. 312
Bibliography	p. 314
Index	p. 332
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