Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology (Anthropology, Culture and Society)

Ranging from the Pacific islands to the Arctic north and from small villages to modern nation states, this concise introduction to social and cultural anthropology reveals the rich global variation in social life and culture. The text also provides a clear overview of anthropology, focusing on central topics such as kinship, ethnicity, ritual and political systems, offering a wealth of examples that demonstrate the enormous scope of anthropology and the importance of a comparative perspective. Unlike previous texts on the subject, Small Places, Large Issues broadens the study to incorporate the anthropology of complex modern societies, thus providing a unique key text for all students of social and cultural anthropology. Using reviews of key monographs to illustrate his argument, Eriksen's lucid and accessible text remains an established introductory text in anthropology. This new edition is updated throughout and includes a new chapter on the history of anthropology. It also shows clearly and comprehensively, through numerous new examples, why classic studies of small-scale societies are relevant for the study of complex phenomena such as nationalism, consumption and the Internet. In this way, the book bridges an often perceived gap between "classic" and "contemporary" anthropology. 'Ranging from the Pacific islands to the Arctic north and from small villages to modern nation states, this introduction to social and cultural anthropology reveals the rich global variation in social life and culture. The text also provides an overview of anthropology, focusing on central topics such as kinship, ethnicity, ritual and political systems, offering a wealth of examples that demonstrate the enormous scope of anthropology and the importance of a comparative perspective. Small Places, Large Issues broadens the study to incorporate the anthropology of complex modern societies, thus providing a key text for all students of social and cultural anthropology. This new edition is updated throughout and includes a new chapter on the history of anthropology. It also shows why classic studies of small-scale societies are relevant for the study of complex phenomena such as nationalism, consumption and the Internet.'--Jacket. "Small Places, Large Issues is a clear and accessible overview of social and cultural anthropology. In this thoroughly revised and updated edition, Thomas Eriksen focuses on the central topics such as kinship, ethnicity, ritual and political systems, and offers a wealth of examples that demonstrate the enormous scope of anthropology and the importance of a comparative perspective.". "Ranging from the Pacific Islands to the Arctic north and from small villages to modern nation states, this concise introduction reveals the rich global variation in social life and culture. Eriksen emphasises the need to establish interrelation between action and social structure and between social organisation and cognitive aspects of culture. He broadens the study to incorporate the anthropology of complex modern societies, thus providing a key text for all students of social and cultural anthropology."--BOOK JACKET. Ranging From Pacific Islands To The Arctic North, And From Small Villages To Modern Nation States, This Concise Introduction To Social Anthropology Reveals The Rich Global Variation In Social Life And Culture. Introduction : Comparison And Context -- A Brief History Of Anthropology -- Fieldwork And Its Interpretation -- The Social Person -- Local Organisation -- Person And Society -- Kinship As Descent -- Marriage And Alliance -- Gender And Age -- Social Hierarchies -- Politics And Power -- Exchange And Consumption -- Production And Technology -- Religion And Ritual -- Modes Of Thought -- Complexity And Change -- Ethnicity -- The Politics Of Identity : Nationalism And Minorities -- The Global, The Local, And The Glocal -- Epilogue : And So What? Thomas Hylland Eriksen. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 314-331) And Index.

A revised and updated edition of this unique best-selling guide to social and cultural anthropology.

Journal of Area Studies

...fills a gap in the market and fills it in an exemplary fashion.