Small Places, Large Issues - Second Edition: An Introduction to Social and Cultural AnthropologyRanging 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. |
From inside the book
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Page 73
... STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL ORGANISATION The totality of social institutions and status relationships makes up the social structure of society . It has been common to assume that this structure , in a certain sense , exists independently of ...
... STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL ORGANISATION The totality of social institutions and status relationships makes up the social structure of society . It has been common to assume that this structure , in a certain sense , exists independently of ...
Page 75
... structure and social organisation . The structure , according to this perspective , is the established pattern of rules , customs , statuses and social institutions . Social organisation , on the other hand , is defined as the dynamic ...
... structure and social organisation . The structure , according to this perspective , is the established pattern of rules , customs , statuses and social institutions . Social organisation , on the other hand , is defined as the dynamic ...
Page 86
... structure . Social structure , he writes , must simul- taneously be understood as the necessary conditions for action and as the cumulative result of the totality of actions . Society exists only as interaction , but at the same time ...
... structure . Social structure , he writes , must simul- taneously be understood as the necessary conditions for action and as the cumulative result of the totality of actions . Society exists only as interaction , but at the same time ...
Contents
Comparison and Context | 1 |
A Brief History of Anthropology | 9 |
Fieldwork and its Interpretation | 24 |
Copyright | |
19 other sections not shown
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actors African analysis anthro argues aspects Azande become biological capitalist caste Chapter clan classification complex concept conflict context create cultural relativism cultural variation defined described developed distinction division of labour Dogon E.E. Evans-Pritchard economic emphasises ethnic groups ethnographic European Evans-Pritchard example exchange exist fieldwork Fredrik Barth Fulani function Geertz gender global gumsa Hindu household human identity ideology important Indian individual institutions integrated Kachin Kaguru kin group kind kinship knowledge language Lévi-Strauss lineage live Malinowski marriage Mauss Mbuti means Merina migration modern societies nationalism nature nevertheless Ningerum norms Nuer one's patrilineal persons perspective political population principle problems production regarded relationship relatives religion rites ritual role Sahlins seen sense social and cultural social anthropology social organisation social system statuses structural-functionalism structure symbolic theory traditional Trobriand Trobriand Islands universal village wagework witchcraft women Yanomamö