Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology

by Robert H. Lavenda, Emily A. Schultz

This very concise, accurate introduction to the basic ideas and practices of contemporary cultural anthropology is designed to address the needs of anthropology professors who make extensive use of ethnographies and other supplementary readings in their courses. Not a standard textbook, Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology functions as a thorough annotated bibliography of the terms and concepts that anthropologists use in their work; its conceptual framework prepares students to read ethnography more effectively, with less misunderstanding.

Genres: Nonfiction, Anthropology, School, Textbooks

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 23, 2002

Reviews

[Cris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent intro to Anthropology for my class at Westvalley. Very clear and useful.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid introduction to the course I'm finishing up. However, I would've liked to have read more case studies and real-life examples of the terms and concepts they define. (Images would've been nice, too.) The authors described plenty of terms and theories, but didn't follow up with that many interesting or concrete examples from the plethora of diverse cultures & societies our world has to offer. I'd say this was a more abstract/theoretical text for a topic that could otherwise be quite colorful and pragmatic.

[Tahmid Hasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great starter for students who is either reading in Anthropology or interested in Anthropology.

[Blessing · Rating 1 out of 5]

I

[Artan Muzhaqi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this book confuses me more than it informats.

[caitlinreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid introduction to the course I'm finishing up. However, I would've liked to have read more case studies and real-life examples of the terms and concepts they define. (Images would've been nice, too.) The authors described plenty of terms and theories, but didn't follow up with that many interesting or concrete examples from the plethora of diverse cultures & societies our world has to offer. I'd say this was a more abstract/theoretical text for a topic that could otherwise be quite colorful and pragmatic.

[Silvio Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhere between a little textbook and a big glossary. Clear explanations of what cultural anthropologists talk about and the words they use to talk about it. Each chapter covers the vocabulary for a different theme, like economic anthropology, kinship systems, linguistic anthropology, and anthropological theory, among others. The only fault I can find with it is some glaring non sequiturs in its reasoning, and it still does enough explanation of the controversies within anthropology to give some insight into the political reasons for them. I wish more college majors assigned a book organized like this one, though maybe not at the intro level.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely helpful for the beginner stuff you sometimes just can't remember. I use it as a reference point for papers mostly now but for any subject that has a culture focus it can be useful.