Explorations in Cultural Anthropology: A Reader

Explorations in Cultural Anthropology is a collection of readings chosen to demonstrate the varied and valuable applications of the anthropological perspective to real-world problems on local, regional, and global scales. It introduces undergraduates to the exciting, perplexing, and troubling issues that socio-cultural anthropologists confront in their work in academia and beyond. Students now have a one-stop source for a variety of key ethnographic and cultural materials without having to buy or search for numerous texts.

Explorations in Cultural Anthropology offers 31 classic readings and contemporary anthropological essays as well as pieces written by journalists, scholars from other disciplines, cultural consultants, and community leaders. The selections are meant to thoughtfully challenge students and provoke further discussion within introductory-level classrooms. The book is organized into nine parts that reflect significant themes and current trends in cultural anthropology: Culture; Fieldwork and Ethnography; Language, Communication, and Expressive Culture; Socio-economic and Political Systems in a Changing World; Race and Ethnicity; Gender and Sexuality; Marriage, Family, and Kinship; Belief Systems; and Applied and Future Anthropologies. Each part introduces the articles therein and provides probing questions per article for student response. This outstanding collection perfectly complements Luke Eric Lassiter's Invitation to Anthropology textbook but has wide appeal for all introductory cultural anthropology courses.