Product Description

A great introductory text book for the study of anthropology. The culmination of 30 years of anthropological research at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7507 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Synopsis
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 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.

From the Publisher
If you don't buy my book, you may not pass anthropology

From the Author
This is a great book. I even wrote it myself

Customer Reviews

This book made me fall in love with anthropologi
I started first semester anthropologi accompanied by Eriksen's book. It has become my dictionary which i still consult after starting on my master degree. I will also recomend it for people who know nothing about anthropologi. Its interesting and you learn a lot. It is easy to read and gives you a good overview over anthropologi. People studying athropologi on a higher level will find the book a bit too easy and shallow if anything... But great and useful anyway! I love the book.

This book is a bit like a supermarket (a very good one)
This book undoubtedly helped me through my three year Social Anthropology degree.
From the very beginning as a clueless first year when it explained to me concepts and ideas I had not even considered right up until the final year when it acted as clarification of things studied way back in the almost forgotten first year.
The book covers almost everything you could want to know for a grounding in Social Anthropology - it is not a daunting prospect, unlike many the other course books I was set to read in my first year which still remain pristine and unread. Whereas my copy of this book is much loved and somewhat dog-eared from regular reference.
I liken the book to a super market because it's a bit of a 'onestop' shop giving you an overview of most areas that you will be required to study and understand. If you want to learn more about a specific area the book's bibliography will point you in the right direction and will have given you the groundwork to build upon to study in further detail.
I love this book and recommend it as a must for anyone studying Social Anthropology even people who aren't studying the subject but just want to learn more - it is a very accessible book.
Thank you for writing it Mr Thomas Hylland Eriksen!