Customer Reviews

A History of Anthropological Theory

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found this to be a highly readable introductory text, which outlines all the major developments in anthropology, from antiquity to postmodernism. The work is, in my opinion, suitable for anyone interested in the broad study of human origins, and of the societies and cultures humans create. I would DEFINITELY buy this book if I were taking an introductory course. A real undiscovered gem for most readers!

If you are looking for a concise, quick introduction to the history of anthropological theory, then I highly recommend this book. No other short survey of its history comes close to scope and content of Erickson and Murphy's book. The companion book of readings is also very good. I only give it 4 stars because of its brevity, you can't go too deep when you have to cover so much ground and keep the book a reasonable length.

This was the required text for Anthropological Theory. I would have been hopelessly lost without this book. It helps understand some very hard concepts. I gave it four stars because I felt that some of the theories were not discussed in depth as other theories were. Overall, this book is a great tool to help begin to process theories in anthropology.

An extremely useful and delightful book. Not the best on the market, but very, very good. It is more appropriated for undergraduate than for graduate courses, because readers already acquainted with anthropological theory might feel some "déjà vu". Some caution is necessary, because the book has a strong (yet explicit) US-centric bias, neglecting important British, French, and other national contributions to anthropological theory. Nevertheless, I use it in my classes.

I bought this book for an undergraduate class 3 years ago and have used it over and over again despite haveing many other theory books. does a great job at explaining were anthropological theory originates and how differing theoretical perspectives interrelate. Also has an excellent cronology.

Needed the book for grad school. It was in good shape and easy to navigate. I like the sidebar notes in this book and the extra definitions. It is great for anyone needing a foundation in anthro.

I fell asleep reading this book several times. I don't think it is the beast way to teach theory. :(