Understanding Culture : An Introduction to Anthropological Theory | Philip Carl Salzman

Understanding Culture : An Introduction to Anthropological Theory | Philip Carl Salzman | a Survey for All Anthropologists

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Understanding Cult...

	Understanding Culture : An Introduction to Anthropological Theory Philip Carl Salzman Waveland Press, 2001 - 173 pages average customer review:based on 2 reviews view larger image
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Are cows sacred to Indian Hindus because they stand for nature and life, as symbolic analysts explain, or because they pull plows and fertilize the land, providing people with food, as cultural materialists argue? Do Muslim Sufi Orders incorporate the lower classes and stabilize the cultural status quo, as functionalists would assert, or are they dynamic forces reshaping society and culture, as processualists claim to illustrate? Are witchcraft accusations a scapegoating of the powerless by the elite to maintain their ascendancy, as materialist class theorists argue, or are they social expressions of psychological tensions arising from conflicts in relationships, as functionalist psychological anthropologists have argued? Understanding culture means understanding and appreciating the diverse theories that offer different perspectives on culture. Salzman's text explores six major streams of anthropological theory: interdependence in human life (functionalism); agency in human action (processualism and transactionalism); determining factors (materialism and political economy); coherence in culture (configurationalism and structuralism); transformation through time (history and evolution); and critical advocacy (feminism and postmodernism). Each theoretical approach is initially presented in its own terms, to show its assumptions, aims, and accomplishments. Each approach is elucidated and illustrated through the arguments and ethnographic examples offered by original theorists and astute practitioners. The introductory and concluding chapters of Understanding Culture frame the diverse theoretical positions and the debates among them within the broader philosophical opposition between explanation and explication. A caution is offered about "presentism," the reflex acceptance of currently popular theories and easy dismissal of earlier theories, because an informed appreciation of a wide range of theoretical approaches is beneficial for understanding cultures. Includes glossary of major terms, brief biographies of major culture theorists, and suggestions for further reading.

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finally -- a good overview of contemporary anthro theory!

This little book is a gem. For years, Kaplan and Manners' CULTURE THEORY was my guide for a quick, unbiased overview of anthropological theory. K&M, while still useful, sorely needs an update. Waveland Press (which also published CULTURE THEORY), scores again with Salzman's UNDERSTANDING CULTURE. There's a lot to like about this book.

Salzman offers a fresh and eminently readable commentary on the full breadth of anthropological theory, including the most current theorists. Students and professors alike will find the author's discussion of the different ways that "theory" can be conceptualized helpful. The glossary of terms and brief biographies of anthropologists add a nice touch, too.

This book is a "must have" for both the casual and academic reader.

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a Survey for All Anthropologists

Philip Salzman provides a lively and accessible survey of current anthropological theory, which will be useful to students and practising social scientists alike who wish to update their knowledge of the current, controversial state of anthropological theory. Salzman's final chapter catches the state of debate more successfully than any other work I know and brings this concise but highly informative survey to a wise and sensible conclusion, as might be expected of the author of Black Tents of Baluchistan. The book's succinctness and attractive style render it highly accessible to a wide readership.

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