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Method in Social Anthropology
This book, "Method in social anthropology; selected essays", by Radcliffe-Brown, A. R. (Alfred Reginald), 1881-1955, is a replication of a book originally published before 1958. It has been restored by human beings, page by page, so that you may enjoy it in a form as close to the original as possible. This book was created using print-on-demand technology. Thank you for supporting classic literature.
- GenresAnthropology
216 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1958
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About the author
Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown
20 books10 followersAlfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown, FBA, was an English social anthropologist who helped further develop the theory of structural functionalism.
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October 19, 2012
This is a rather useful reading for a beginner in anthropology, although even as a beginner I managed to find many points of disagreement with the author.
The books is a collection of essays and lectures of Radcliffe-Brown, in which he highlights the differences between two anthropological directions: ethnology and social anthropology, and he pleads for the latter. By ethnology, he means the study of non-civilized peoples that deals with their description, classification (in terms of race, language and customs) and the reconstruction of their history (as they have no written history). Meanwhile, social anthropology seeks to compare the various primitive societies and to identify from this diverse and various social and cultural forms general laws regarding social life and development. He sometimes calls social anthropology ”comparative sociology”. I disliked his disregard for what he calls ”ethnology”, which is for me an essential part of anthropology. Stripped by this part, it not hard too see why Radcliffe-Brown's social anthropology can be subsumed to comparative sociology. It is rather a partisan position. In attempting to make anthropology more scientific, in pleading for the experimental method and for following the example of natural sciences, it seems to me he de-humanizes anthropology, he alters its object of study. I find his position a late echo of positivism.
What I found interesting in the book is the discussion of anthropology's relationship to other sciences and of its formation as a discipline. I also enjoyed the examples from the author's own fieldwork about the Andaman Islanders and Australian tribes which he brings as an illustration of the research method in favor of which he pleads. The definition of the notions of social structure and social organisation are rather interesting as well. By the end of the book, he also presents his view on the theory of social evolution, based on that of Spencer, which is rather attractive. Evolution is not lineary progress (all societies go through the same forms or stages of development and the primitive are more backward than us), but it is a process of divergent development, a process that creates many different forms, each complex in its own way. Though I must admit at some points his view was contradictory.
The books is a collection of essays and lectures of Radcliffe-Brown, in which he highlights the differences between two anthropological directions: ethnology and social anthropology, and he pleads for the latter. By ethnology, he means the study of non-civilized peoples that deals with their description, classification (in terms of race, language and customs) and the reconstruction of their history (as they have no written history). Meanwhile, social anthropology seeks to compare the various primitive societies and to identify from this diverse and various social and cultural forms general laws regarding social life and development. He sometimes calls social anthropology ”comparative sociology”. I disliked his disregard for what he calls ”ethnology”, which is for me an essential part of anthropology. Stripped by this part, it not hard too see why Radcliffe-Brown's social anthropology can be subsumed to comparative sociology. It is rather a partisan position. In attempting to make anthropology more scientific, in pleading for the experimental method and for following the example of natural sciences, it seems to me he de-humanizes anthropology, he alters its object of study. I find his position a late echo of positivism.
What I found interesting in the book is the discussion of anthropology's relationship to other sciences and of its formation as a discipline. I also enjoyed the examples from the author's own fieldwork about the Andaman Islanders and Australian tribes which he brings as an illustration of the research method in favor of which he pleads. The definition of the notions of social structure and social organisation are rather interesting as well. By the end of the book, he also presents his view on the theory of social evolution, based on that of Spencer, which is rather attractive. Evolution is not lineary progress (all societies go through the same forms or stages of development and the primitive are more backward than us), but it is a process of divergent development, a process that creates many different forms, each complex in its own way. Though I must admit at some points his view was contradictory.
Displaying 1 of 1 review