In this illuminating tour of humanity, Joy Hendry and Simon Underdown
reveal the origins of our species, and the fabric of human society,
through the discipline of anthropology. Via fascinating case studies and
discoveries, they unravel our understanding of human behaviours and
beliefs, including how witchcraft has been used to justify misfortune,
and debunk old-fashioned ideas about "race" based upon the latest
genetic research. They even share what our bathroom tells us about our
concept of the body - and ourselves.
From our evolutionary ancestors, through our rites of passage, to our
responses to globalization, Hendry and Underdown provide the essential
first step to understanding the world as an anthropologist would - in
all its diversity and commonality.