Full Description
From the early Cold War years through the social unrest and activism of the 1960s, American anthropology expanded considerably in size and outreach, becoming spectacularly global and cross-cultural in its interests. Complex societies and communities became increasingly popular subjects of inquiry; the influence of sociological methods upon fieldwork and interpretation grew; a reimagined cultural evolution emerged; and a pervasive interest in the broader forces of culture change shaped research, writing, and theory throughout the quarter century. A dynamic range of schools of anthropological thought flowered—cultural ecology, structural-functionalism, ethnoscience, and, in the last years of the era, French structuralism. The American Anthropological Association became a forum of political debate in the 1960s, and its membership included more people of color but fewer women than previously. The twenty-two selections in this volume highlight the many telling achievements and enduring insights in American anthropology during the first few decades after World War II. An introduction to these essays by Robert F. Murphy provides a historical and critical backdrop for understanding the changes and continuity in American anthropology during this time.
Contents
Introduction: A Quarter Century of American Anthropology Robert F. Murphy; The Scope of Linguistics C. F. Voegelin and Z. S. Harris; The Definition and Prohibition of Incest Leslie A. White; Cultural Causality and Law: A Trial Formulation of the Development of Early Civilizations Julian H. Steward; Navaho and Zuni Veterans: A Study of Contrasting Modes of Culture Change John Adair and Evon Vogt; Witchcraft in Four African Societies: An Essay in Comparison S. F. Nadel; The Structure of Unilineal Descent Groups Meyer Fortes; Method and Theory in American Archeology: An Operational Basis for Culture-Historical Integration Philip Phillips and Gordon R. Willey; Social Anthropology and the Method of Controlled Comparison Fred Eggan; A Problem in Malayo-Polynesian Social Organization Ward H. Goodenough; Types of Latin American Peasantry: A Preliminary Discussion Eric R. Wolf; The Nature of Deference and Demeanor Erving Goffman; Ecologic Relationships of Ethnic Groups in Swat, North Pakistan Fredrik Barth; Ritual and Social Change: A Javanese Example Clifford Geertz; The Meaning of Kinship Terms Anthony F. C. Wallace and John Atkins; The Community as Object and as Sample Conrad M. Arensberg; Cultural Ecology and Ethnography Charles O. Frake; Refocusing on the Neanderthal Problem C. Loring Brace; The Concept of Race Ashley Montagu; Earth-Diver: Creation of the Mythopoeic Male Alan Dundes; Descent and Symbolic Filiation Sally Falk Moore; Peasant Society and the Image of Limited Good George M. Foster; Anemic and Emetic Analyses in Social Anthropology Gerald D. Berreman
