Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local Lives is an exceptionally clear and readable introduction that helps students understand the application of anthropological concepts to the contemporary world and everyday life. It provides thorough treatment of key subjects such as colonialism and post-colonialism, ethnicity, the environment, cultural change, economic development, and globalization.
This fourth edition has a fresh thematic focus on the future, with material relating to planning, decision-making, design and invention, hope, and waiting. More space is devoted to contemporary topics, and there is new coverage of subjects ranging from white nationalism, right-wing populism, and natural disasters to surgical training, hacker conferences, and the gig economy. Each chapter contains a rich variety of case studies that have been updated throughout.
The book includes a number of features to support student learning, including:
- A wealth of color images
- Definitions of key terms and further reading suggestions in the margins
- Questions for discussion/review and boxed summaries at the end of every chapter
- An extensive glossary, bibliography, and index.
Additional resources are provided via a comprehensive companion website.
Table of Contents:
1. UNDERSTANDING ANTHROPOLOGY; 2. UNDERSTANDING AND STUDYING CULTURE; 3. THE ORIGINS OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY; 4. LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL RELATIONS; 5. CULTURAL CONSTRUCTION OF PERSONS: PERSONALITY AND GENDER; 6. INDIVIDUALS AND IDENTITIES: RACE AND ETHNICITY; 7. HEALTH, ILLNESS, BODY, AND CULTURE; 8. ECONOMICS: HUMANS, NATURE, AND SOCIETY; 9. KINSHIP AND NON-KIN GROUPS: BEING, BECOMING, AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION; 10. POLITICS: SOCIAL ORDER AND SOCIAL CONTROL; 11. RELIGION: RELATING TO THE NON-HUMAN WORLD; 12. CULTURAL DYNAMICS: TRADITION AND CHANGE; 13. COLONIALISM AND THE ORIGIN OF GLOBALIZATION; 14. THE STRUGGLE FOR POLITICAL IDENTITY IN A MOBILE AND UNCERTAIN WORLD; 15. ECONOMICS IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD: DEVELOPMENT, MODERNIZATION, AND NEOLIBERALISM; 16. CULTURAL SURVIVAL AND REVIVAL IN THE 21st CENTURY
About the Author :
Jack David Eller is Associate Professor (Emeritus) of Anthropology at the Community College of Denver, USA. An experienced teacher and author, his other books for Routledge include Introducing Anthropology of Religion (second edition, 2014), Cultural Anthropology: 101 (2015), Culture and Diversity in the United States (2015), Social Science and Historical Perspectives (2016), and Psychological Anthropology for the 21st Century (2018).
Review :
Praise for previous editions
"Cultural Anthropology stands apart from other textbooks and is a truly unique option for introductory anthropology classes. Eller’s use of language is concise and accessible to the entry-level student. More importantly, the text offers a refreshingly clear focus on the relationship between culture, power and the central social issues of the world."
- Andrew Nelson, University of North Texas, USA
"I have repeatedly returned to Eller for his ability to make difficult subjects accessible without condescension or dilution. This very good introduction is well written and hits all the marks of four field anthropology (and beyond) while never losing the important focus of culture and the human experience."
- Anjana Mebane-Cruz, Farmingdale State College, SUNY, USA
"I would definitely recommend this text to students … it is simply excellent"
- Peter Collins, Durham University, UK
"This textbook will undoubtedly prove invaluable to anthropology students, orientating them into the extensive world of contemporary anthropology. Of particular note is the clarity with which anthropology is presented as offering indispensable insights into the globalized world, whilst not shying away from addressing global political and economic concerns."
- Hannah Rumble, University of Exeter, UK
"Finally, an introductory textbook with real substance. Eller’s thoughtful account takes his readers seriously, providing them with a no-nonsense rendition of cultural anthropology, both past and present. This book does true justice to our discipline."
- John T. Friedman, University College Roosevelt Academy/Utrecht University, the Netherlands
