Anthropology: Theoretical Practice in Culture and Society [Paperback]

Michael Herzfeld (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631206590 | ISBN-13: 978-0631206590 | Publication Date: February 22, 2001 | Edition: 1

Not a textbook in the ordinary sense, this work offers a vision of how anthropology - a discipline that operates through intimate knowledge of local societies - can offer vastly increased understanding of society and culture even in this age of mass communication. In its examination of topics ranging as far afield as the mass media, environmental and development issues, kinship and suffering in transnational settings, the politics of both the nation-state and the local community, the arts, cosmologies of science as well as religion, and the relationship between social life and history, this book is not just about an academic discipline; it is about the theoretical as well as ethical commitments that have enabled anthropologists to play a leading role in the critique of racism and other forms of intolerance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderful book.... Anthropology breaks ground in every generation. This sparkling survey does not tell you where anthropology has come from, it is a book about where anthropology has got to now, and where it is going. A splendid publishing event."
--Mary Douglas, University College London

"An intriguing and unusual book! This is at once a collective and an individual work. Herzfeld is a fencing master supreme; in drawing the works of colleagues close to himself, he also parries and diverts them. This is a sharp-witted and agile book that keeps the conversations going until the end. There should be more 'textbooks' like this."
--Marilyn Strathern, University of Cambridge

"A good summary of the state of social and cultural anthropology has not been written in more than 50 years. Thus an overview of this vast discipline that has depth, clarity, nuance, elegance, and breadth is most welcome. This work, required reading for anyone with an interest in the current state of the art in social and cultural anthropology, will require close reading, but it will repay the effort many times over." (Choice)

"Herzfeld is now at the height of his powers, and Anthropology: Theoretical Practice in Culture and Society is a work of daunting scholarship, but more importantly of continual intellectual provocation. In short, and to indulge in the irony that Herzfeld himself recommends, it is a magisterial." (The Australian Journal of Anthropology)

From the Back Cover

Anthropology: Theoretical Practice in Culture and Society builds on a collaborative, international project sponsored by UNESCO to offer an overview of social and cultural anthropology. Not a textbook in the ordinary sense, this volume explores the "militant middle ground" between theory and practice, humanistic and scientific approaches, and symbolic and materialist perspectives. Rejecting conventional layout, noted anthropologist Michael Herzfeld brings his collaborators - specialists in their various fields - into a broader conversation about the ways in which social and cultural anthropology can illuminate aspects of the human condition that less intimate approaches cannot reveal.

This volume is not just about an academic discipline; it is about the theoretical and ethical commitments that have enabled anthropologists to play a leading role in the critique of racism and other forms of intolerance. The wide range of topics that Herzfeld covers has produced a book that will provide students with a vital overview of the state of the field. But, perhaps more important, readers will find their eyes opened to the complexities of culture and society at a time of vastly intensified communication and contact.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (February 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631206590
• ISBN-13: 978-0631206590
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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