Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology(Anthropology, Culture and Society)

This concise introduction to social and cultural anthropology has become a modern classic, revealing the rich global variation in social life and culture. The text 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 other texts on the subject, Small Places, Large Issues incorporates the anthropology of complex modern societies. Using reviews of key monographs to illustrate his argument, Eriksen's lucid and accessible text remains an established introductory text in anthropology. This new edition is updated throughout and increases the emphasis on the interdependence of human worlds. There is a new discussion of the new influence cultural studies and natural science on anthropology. Effortless bridging the perceived gap between "classic" and "contemporary" anthropology, Small Places, Large Issues is as essential to anthropology undergraduates as ever.

Table of Contents:
Introduction to the third edition 1. Anthropology: Comparison and Context 2. A Brief History of Anthropology 3. Fieldwork and Ethnography 4. The Social Person 5. Local Organisation 6. Person and Society 7. Kinship as Descent 8. Marriage and Relatedness 9. Gender and Age 10. Caste and Class 11. Politics and Power 12. Exchange and Consumption 13. Production, Nature and Technology 14. Religion and Ritual 15. Language andCognition 16. Complexity and Change 17. Ethnicity 18. Nationalism and Minorities 19. Anthropology and the Paradoxes of Globalisation Epilogue: Making Anthropology Matter Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1962 – 2024) was Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo and former President of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA). He was among the most highly cited anthropologists of his generation, and his classic and accessible textbook Small Places, Large Issues remains a cornerstone in anthropology courses. His later books, including Overheating, tackled the important issue of climate change within the discipline.

Review :
This book fills a gap in the market and fills it in an exemplary fashion.