Urban Life: Readings in the Anthropology of the City (4th Edition)

This authoritative introduction to the study of human beings and their cultural institutions in cities offers twenty-six readings more than one-half new or revised for the Fourth Edition that form a rich blend of classic studies of enduring interest and important new research. Impressive in scope, the latest edition offers an entirely new section on globalization and transnationalism. What does urban mean? How do places and spaces change when they become urban? Why are people drawn to cities? How do anthropologists and others study urban places and the people who occupy them? These are some of the questions explored in this compelling and extensively revised fifth edition. As before, Urban Life is topically and geographically wide ranging, with well-crafted contributions offering expert coverage of urban fieldwork experiences, theoretical concepts, and new research from an anthropological perspective. The book is organized into five fieldwork, communities, structures and institutions, migration and adaptation, and globalization and transnationalism. Each part includes an introduction that provides background for its chapters. Each chapter begins with a headnote that highlights its significance. The richly ethnographic content of each chapter appeals to students and encourages them to reconsider their preconceptions about the social life and character of cities and city dwellers. Titles of related interest also available from Waveland Lyon-Driskell, The Community in Urban Society, Second Edition (ISBN 9781577667414) and Shannon, Urban Problems in Sociological Perspective, Fourth Edition (ISBN 9781577661955).