Amazon Town: A Study of Human Life in the Tropics

Charles Wagley (1913-1991) was an American anthropologist specializing in rural Latin America. His principal focus was on Brazil, where he is considered to be one of the founders of contemporary Brazilian anthropology. He made major contributions to the concept of culture areas for Latin America (including a typology of subcultures for the region) and to the notion that race was a cultural construct. He conducted extensive research in the Amazon among indigenous groups and rural Brazilians. Out of the latter came his classic description of life in the Amazon: Amazon Town. With this volume, editor/author Richard Pace has revised and updated Charles Wagley's Amazon Town to coincide with Wagley's 100th birthday in late 2013.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Conrad Kottak Preface to the 2013 Edition Preface to the 1976 Edition I. The Problem of Humanity in the Tropics II. An Amazon Community III. Making a Living in the Tropics IV. Social Relations in an Amazon Community V. Family Affairs in an Amazon Community VI. People Also Play VII. From Magic to Science VIII. A Community in an Underdeveloped Area: The Struggle for Liberation and Sustainable Development References Index

About the Author :
Charles Wagley was Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Latin American Studies at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Specializing in rural Latin America, he was a leading pioneer in the development of Brazilian anthropology. Conrad Kottak is the Julian H. Steward Collegiate Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Michigan and recent Chair of Section 51, Anthropology at the National Academy of Sciences. He is Charles Wagley's son-in-law and literary executor. Richard Pace is Professor of Anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University. He studied with Charles Wagley at the University of Florida.

Review :
"I very much appreciate Wagley's masterful, ethnographic treatment of his subject matter. He writes engrossing prose and conveys a wealth of information to the reader in the process...I value what he accomplished within the parameters of Anthropology in his own era of research. I also like the fact that he was willing to tackle the difficult issues of development and to open areas of further research, which concern quality of life in relation to technological change...I would recommend Amazon Town to colleagues as occupying an important place in the anthropological literature on Brazil, and as useful in more than one course..." Leslie Straub, Providence College "Wagley's text is a classic ethnography written from a humanistic perspective, as he himself states in the preface. As such, Wagley successfully links much of what he describes in Gurupá to broader practices in Brazil, Latin America, rural environments, and, indeed, the human condition. Thick with description and detail, he deftly weaves the particular into the whole and back again. Of special note is the clarity and directness of his writing style." Rosana Resende, University of Florida "This book is a fundamental reading for any course on the Amazon and its people...It gives remarkable understanding of people and environment in the Amazon. Few people can write as clearly and brilliantly as Wagley. It is like reading a novel, but rich in data and understanding...I have always sent everyone to this book first when they show interest in the Amazon." Emilio Moran, Michigan State University