Description

For novice readers who may not regard anthropology as relevant to today's headlines, this book is a break-through. Durrenberger and Erem show how seeing the world through an anthropological lens enhances our understanding of such current topics as globalization, the new economy, jobs and careers, world trade, the condition of inner cities, and racial and ethnic relations. It provides the best application available of anthropological research to America's current public issues and concerns. It also introduces students to traditional societies, social organization,k kinship, and the many other topics vital to a sound introductory understanding of anthropology and its traditions, including the field's theories and its classic and contemporary ethnographies. Written in lively prose, the book is vital to any social science collection.

• Fun, witty, savvy; written in the vernacular of today's students
• Challenges tough humanitarian issues other texts gloss over or skip--race, class, gender, globalization, and more
• Covers contemporary politics, imperialism, and conflict from an anthropological point of view
• Employs a critical political economy perspective balanced by examples of individual and social agency
• Uses history, ethnographies, and tools of anthropology to sharpen students' understanding of their own lives and the human condition
• Presents complex social theories and key terms in a memorable and easy to understand manner
• Poses superior discussion questions compared to most textbooks, vital for teachers, classroom discussion, and individual study
• Power Point slides on the topics of "Evolution," "Systems," "Emic-Etic," "Kinship," and "Ecology" are available electronically on this book's page

Author Info

E. Paul Durrenberger was Professor of Anthropology for twenty-five years at the University of Iowa before moving to Pennsylvania State University. He has published many influential articles and books.

Suzan Erem is a freelance writer for unions and the author of Labor Pains: Inside America's New Union Movement (Monthly Review Press, 2001).

They are coauthors of Class Acts: An Anthropology of Service Workers and Their Union (Paradigm 2005).

Reviews

“The only introductory anthropology text I have ever seen that has the courage not only to address current humanitarian issues of class and state, but to tackle the problems head-on with a clear, logical, empirical ethnographic approach.”

—Kara Leah Reichart, University of North Carolina

“Conversational, explanatory, and provocative, with a clear and strong point of view on the contemporary world. Undergraduate students will thrive on the immediacy of the writing, while professionals will savor the consistent theme of household versus suprahousehold political economy from simple societies to the contemporary world system.”

—Josiah Heyman, University of Texas at El Paso

“Anthropology Unbound is the most refreshing text I’ve ever read, a genuine 'field guide' to the anthropological way of thinking and perceiving the world around us. The authors make the facts unforgettable, the graphs and charts clear and truly helpful, and the messages both substantial and provocative, exactly what is needed for courses in which critical thinking and discussion are valued.

—Bonnie J. McCay, Rutgers University

“This is exactly the kind of text that I was needing to pull together my own research and the intro themes in a way that engages intro students. One of the best students said it was 'fascinating'. That is as good as it gets. On top of that, many of them are seeking extra-curricular outlets for getting involved in changing the system. They are finding the class to be empowering.”

—Barbara Dilly, Creighton University