and social anthropology, introducing the classic theoretical ideas of its key founders and placing them in their historical and geographical context. This new edition is fully updated, including “topics for reflection” at the end of each chapter which offer topics for debate and further discussion as well as a new final chapter illuminating the valuable ways in which anthropology may be used in the world at large. This comprehensive text covers the anthropology’s core topics in an even-handed and illuminating manner, introducing the reader to divergent views on all of the most basic subjects, including food, hygiene, gift-exchange, rites of passage, symbolism, religion, politics, and the environment, and raising awareness of the emotional value people place on those views. Incorporating a wide array of countries, it brings the subject of cultural and social anthropology right into the neighborhood of the readers, wherever they are in the world. Written in a refreshingly accessible style, the volume offers a compelling introduction to an enigmatic and exciting subject, drawing out its relevance and value for the complex multicultural world in which we live.

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