Anthropology and Contemporary Human Problems [Paperback]

John Bodley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2000 | ISBN-10: 076741845X | ISBN-13: 978-0767418454 | Edition: 4

Using the cross-cultural, evolutionary, and multi-disciplinary perspectives that are unique to anthropology, this text examines contemporary civilization’s most pressing problems and generates ideas for solutions and hope for the future.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This fifth edition of Bodley's book, Anthropology and Contemporary Human Problems, is a refreshing assessment of many of the contemporary problems that continue to challenge human beings in all sectors of the globe. It is a real tour-de-force and a major advancement over the earlier fourth edition. I'm particularly impressed by the manner in which Bodley places anthropology at the forefront in the search for solutions to the many problems facing humanity, including affluence and poverty, the environmental crisis, natural resource depletion versus sustainability, malnutrition, the evolution of food systems, problems of the factory food system, population problems, conflict, and the future (Deward Walker ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

John H. Bodley is a cultural anthropologist and Regents Professor at Washington State University and author of Victims of Progress and Cultural Anthropology: Tribes, States, and the Global System. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 4 edition (October 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076741845X
• ISBN-13: 978-0767418454
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,438,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading!, August 14, 2000

By 

Jason Malfatto (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anthropology and Contemporary Human Problems (Paperback)

I am grateful to Mr. Bodley for this enlightening analysis of modern social problems (e.g. environmental deterioration, food scarcity, overpopulation, and gross inequality) viewed in light of modern knowledge of our small-scale, tribal forbears who have lived in relative harmony with their ecosystems and in a relatively egalitarian social structure for tens of thousands of years. In other words, the most dire social problems we face today are not inevitable consequences of human nature, but are cultural and can be changed. As such, we stand much to learn from these maligned "primitives."

Bodley might have taken his recommendations (saved for the last 15 pages) further than he did (e.g. an ideological repudiation of market principles & nation-states), but the information he gathers from the modern sciences & history makes the conclusion unavoidable that a radical socio-political restructuring is necessary in order for human survival (not merely civilization) to continue.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading!, August 14, 2000

By 

Jason Malfatto (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anthropology and Contemporary Human Problems (Paperback)

I am grateful to Mr. Bodley for this enlightening analysis of modern social problems (e.g. environmental deterioration, food scarcity, overpopulation, and gross inequality) viewed in light of modern knowledge of our small-scale, tribal forbears who have lived in relative harmony with their ecosystems and in a relatively egalitarian social structure for tens of thousands of years. In other words, the most dire social problems we face today are not inevitable consequences of human nature, but are cultural and can be changed. As such, we stand much to learn from these maligned "primitives."

Bodley might have taken his recommendations (saved for the last 15 pages) further than he did (e.g. an ideological repudiation of market principles & nation-states), but the information he gathers from the modern sciences & history makes the conclusion unavoidable that a radical socio-political restructuring is necessary in order for human survival (not merely civilization) to continue.