Description

An Introduction to Social Anthropology opens up the field of social and cultural anthropology, demonstrating its value for building an understanding of the vast diversity of human societies and cultures that make up the world today. Without assuming any prior knowledge, the book gradually leads the reader from some of the discipline's earliest foundational approaches and theories, through the fundamental areas that make up contemporary anthropology. Taking a truly global and holistic view, it includes case studies from far away as well as closer to home, wherever you might be reading it, touching on a range of topics that both divide and connect us, such as family, marriage and religion. This third edition closes with a new chapter discussing the role of social and cultural anthropologists and the specific methods they use in a fast-changing world. This is an inviting, engaging and enjoyable text that aims to smooth the journey for new or prospective anthropology students seeking to better understand the discipline and its roots. Offering illustrations, plentiful further readings and films, first-hand accounts of people across the world, and a number of thorny topics for reflection, the book makes an ideal text for sharing and discussing in the classroom too.