Cultural Anthropology and Human Experience: The Feast of Life

Katherine A. Dettwyler, author of the Margaret Mead Award–winning Dancing Skeletons, has written a compelling and original introductory text. Cultural Anthropology & Human Experience is suitable for use in Cultural and Social Anthropology courses, and its twelve chapters easily fit into quarter or semester terms, while leaving room for additional readings, discussions, or other projects. All the standard topics are covered, but with less emphasis on method and theory and more coverage of a variety of industrial and postindustrial societies. Auxiliary materials—bells and whistles—have been kept to a minimum to reduce distractions and maintain a reasonable price to students. The author has chosen all the photographs with great care to illustrate or amplify important points. Dettwyler’s upbeat tone inspires students to: develop the ability to think logically, objectively, and critically about different cultural beliefs, practices, and social structures; understand that humans are “primates with culture,” with a complex overlay of environmental and cultural influences; appreciate how powerful cultural beliefs and practices can be in shaping human perceptions of the world; realize that “culture” is not the same thing as social constructions of “race,” “ethnic identity,” or “place of geographic origin”; understand why/how cultural practices make sense within the cultures that practice them; articulate how an anthropological perspective helps discern everyday situations and interactions at the local, national, and international levels; understand that anthropology is not just an academic discipline—it is a way of looking at and understanding the world; and appreciate the ways cultural beliefs and practices, social structures, and human lifestyles contribute to a meaningful life. Read more