Synthesizing British, French and American traditions, this stimulating
and accessible text presents a comprehensive and fascinating
introduction to social and cultural anthropology. It offers an original
approach through integrating knowledge produced from a variety of
perspectives, placing cultural and social anthropology in a wider
context including macro-sociological concepts and reference to
biological evolution. Written in a clear and concise style, it conveys
to the student the complexities of a discipline focusing on the
structure, evolution and cultural identity of human societies up to the
present day.
The text consists of four major parts: the scope and method of
anthropology, a conceptual and institutional overview, the evolution of
the structure of human societies, and the cultural politics of race,
ethnicity, nationalism and multiculturalism.