How to Think Like an Anthropologist

From an award-winning anthropologist, a lively, accessible, and at times irreverent introduction to the subject What is anthropology? What can it tell us about the world? Why, in short, does it matter? For well over a century, cultural anthropologists have circled the globe, from Papua New Guinea to suburban England and from China to California, uncovering surprising facts and insights about how humans organize their lives and articulate their values. In the process, anthropology has done more than any other discipline to reveal what culture means--and why it matters. By weaving together examples and theories from around the world, Matthew Engelke provides a lively, accessible, and at times irreverent introduction to anthropology, covering a wide range of classic and contemporary approaches, subjects, and practitioners. Presenting a set of memorable cases, he encourages readers to think deeply about some of the key concepts with which anthropology tries to make sense of the world—from culture and nature to authority and blood. Along the way, he shows why anthropology matters: not only because it helps us understand other cultures and points of view but also because, in the process, it reveals something about ourselves and our own cultures, too.

About the Author :
Matthew Engelke is professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. An award-winning author and teacher, he is also a former editor of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Review :
"Informing and perhaps occasionally startling readers who aren't themselves anthropologists--is a profoundly important goal. Engelke achieves his goal with crystal-clear writing, and occasional humor, too."---Barbara J. King, NPR "An affable introduction to the discipline."---James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review "Praise for the UK edition: "Clearly the work of an author having tremendous fun with material he knows inside out . . . [T]hinking like an anthropologist is something that we should all do more often.""---Simon Underdown, Times Higher Education "How to Think Like an Anthropologist accomplishes what it sets out to do in a clear and elegant way. It is an excellent introduction to the discipline and will be equally suited to the student of anthropology or the general reader interested in learning more about the field. And for veteran scholars in other fields who might be less well-acquainted with anthropology, perhaps How to Think Like an Anthropologist will give them pause for thought about what and how they think, and why."---Yusuf Lenfest, Reading Religion "[A] book written with great verve. . . . Whether you have some knowledge of anthropology but want to be more sure about the accuracy of what you think you already understand, or you have always wanted to know what anthropologists are up to but could never find a good path into the discipline . . . this is a book for you."---Joel Robbins, Journal of the American Academy of Religion