History and Theory in Anthropology
History and Theory in Anthropology
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Anthropology is a discipline very conscious of its history. Alan Barnard has written a clear, detailed overview of anthropological theory that brings out the historical contexts of the great debates, tracing the genealogies of theories and schools of thought. His book covers the precursors of anthropology; evolutionism in all its guises; diffusionism and culture area theories, functionalism and structural-functionalism; action-centered theories; processual and Marxist perspectives; the many faces of relativism, structuralism and poststructuralism; and recent interpretive and postmodernist viewpoints. This is a balanced and judicious survey, which also considers the problems involved in assessing anthropological theories.
- Challenging and insightful, both for students and for professionals in anthropology and related disciplines
- Wide coverage, both historical and contemporary, and extensive glossary
- Up to date with alternative theoretical perspectives and interesting work with older perspectives
Reviews & endorsements
"Clear, compact, comprehensive histories of anthropological thought are scarce. This work is a welcome exemplar of all three. Originiating in the author's course on anthropological theory, this work merits a place in hte syllabus of similar courses..." Choice
Product details
January 2005Adobe eBook Reader
9780511034640
0 pages
0kg
10 tables
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface
- 1. Visions of anthropology
- 2. Precursors of the anthropological tradition
- 3. Changing perspectives on evolution
- 4. Diffusionist and culture-area theories
- 5. Functionalism and structural-functionalism
- 6. Action-centred, processual and Marxist perspectives
- 7. From relativism to cognitive science
- 8. Structuralism, from linguistics to anthropology
- 9. Poststructuralists, feminists and (other) mavericks
- 10. Interpretive and postmodernist approaches
- 11. Conclusions
- Appendix 1: dates of birth and death of individuals mentioned in the text
- Appendix 2: glossary
- References
- Index.
