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Pelican Books #15
How to Think Like an Anthropologist
From an award-winning anthropologist, a lively accessible, and at times irreverent introduction to the subject
What is anthropology? What can it tell us about the world? Why, in short, does it matter? For well over a century, cultural anthropologists have circled the globe, from Papua New Guinea to suburban England and from China to California, uncovering surprising facts and insights about how humans organize their lives and articulate their values. In the process, anthropology has done more than any other discipline to reveal what culture means--and why it matters. By weaving together examples and theories from around the world, Matthew Engelke provides a lively, accessible, and at times irreverent introduction to anthropology, covering a wide range of classic and contemporary approaches, subjects, and practitioners. Presenting a set of memorable cases, he encourages readers to think deeply about some of the key concepts with which anthropology tries to make sense of the world--from culture and nature to authority and blood. Along the way, he shows why anthropology not only because it helps us understand other cultures and points of view but also because, in the process, it reveals something about ourselves and our own cultures, too.
What is anthropology? What can it tell us about the world? Why, in short, does it matter? For well over a century, cultural anthropologists have circled the globe, from Papua New Guinea to suburban England and from China to California, uncovering surprising facts and insights about how humans organize their lives and articulate their values. In the process, anthropology has done more than any other discipline to reveal what culture means--and why it matters. By weaving together examples and theories from around the world, Matthew Engelke provides a lively, accessible, and at times irreverent introduction to anthropology, covering a wide range of classic and contemporary approaches, subjects, and practitioners. Presenting a set of memorable cases, he encourages readers to think deeply about some of the key concepts with which anthropology tries to make sense of the world--from culture and nature to authority and blood. Along the way, he shows why anthropology not only because it helps us understand other cultures and points of view but also because, in the process, it reveals something about ourselves and our own cultures, too.
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
301 people are currently reading
2776 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Engelke
7 books24 followersMatthew Engelke is professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. An award-winning author and teacher, he is also a former editor of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
October 3, 2017
Not a happy experience, in fact quite disconcerting. Usually if I don’t like a book I take the fairly reasonable view that it’s them, not me, where the problem lies. But here, I think it’s me. This is probably a pretty good book but for me it was…urrghhhh…. Like mudwrestling with a shapeshifter. One minute it’s the gift giving culture of the Trobriand Islanders, next minute the Bovine Mystique of the Basotho and then an examination of the concept of culture and how central it is to anthropology (and ordinary plebs too) followed by a deconstruction of the whole stupid fallacious concept of “culture”, like, what does that mean, seriously? Nothing! Okay, Prof Engelke doesn’t put it quite like that but he sure means it that way. Or maybe he just wants you to know that some top anthropologists do. It’s hard to say. He’s like well, some remote tribes do like this, and some do like that; and some anthrolopopolological guys think like this, some guys think like that. There’s no One Ring to rule them all, this isn’t Middle Earth.
So it all gets exhausting. Why should I pore through his chapters on Value, Blood, Identity, Authority, Reason and Nature when I know that sometime soon he’ll be telling me that there ain’t no such thing as Value, Blood, Identity, Authority, Reason and Nature even though a ton of anthrololopolologists have written a ton of books on precisely those things. Like Chuck Berry said, too much monkey business for me!
I also didn’t like the historical creepiness of anthropology, which is that often it was used by colonial authorities – and is still used by big companies – to figure out how to handle the natives. (“Natives” is a term the professor is still okay about using. There’s a whole couple of pages about that very point as you might have guessed.)
So, this book did not make me feel good. It made me feel fairly dim-witted. I could not keep up. I can’t seem to find the brain power to add the hropologist to my thinking, so I’m sorry to say that now I think I just Think Like an Ant.
So it all gets exhausting. Why should I pore through his chapters on Value, Blood, Identity, Authority, Reason and Nature when I know that sometime soon he’ll be telling me that there ain’t no such thing as Value, Blood, Identity, Authority, Reason and Nature even though a ton of anthrololopolologists have written a ton of books on precisely those things. Like Chuck Berry said, too much monkey business for me!
I also didn’t like the historical creepiness of anthropology, which is that often it was used by colonial authorities – and is still used by big companies – to figure out how to handle the natives. (“Natives” is a term the professor is still okay about using. There’s a whole couple of pages about that very point as you might have guessed.)
So, this book did not make me feel good. It made me feel fairly dim-witted. I could not keep up. I can’t seem to find the brain power to add the hropologist to my thinking, so I’m sorry to say that now I think I just Think Like an Ant.
January 15, 2018
If you already think like a sociologist or cultural studies scholar, there isn't much in this book that will turn your intellectual worldview upside down. It provides a general overview of anthropology as an academic subject through its focus on seven themes, giving, in passing, some valuable suggestions for further reading (and a concise booklist at the end). An easy read, but with no obvious connection between the various themes or even the works cited within the themes. It would offer a useful corrective for anyone not accustomed to pondering alternative worldviews and cultural experiences, but since the majority of avid bookreaders (and Goodreaders) are precisely so accustomed, it's difficult to know who this book is aimed at; prospective college students, perhaps.
November 3, 2021
كتاب ممتع ونافع. هو إطلالة على أمثلة على موضوعات اشتغل وما زال الأنثربولوجيون عليها؛ من مفاهيم الثقافة والحضارة، والقيم والقيمة، إلى مفاهيم الدم والعلاقات، وسلطة النظم الاجتماعية والهوية، ومروراً بمفاهيم العقل واللغة والطبيعة.
يعرض الكاتب بأسلوب سلس لكثير من اختلاف الآراء والمدارس، وتطور الأفكار في عالم الأنثربولوجيا.
ومقدمة الكاتب على قدرٍ كبير من الأهمية والإجمال، فهي لبّ الكتاب وما الفصول إلا أمثلة متنوعة. ولهذا فالكتاب تعليم بالمثال، وإطلاق للمنظور الاجتماعي بعد استفزاز شرارة "الإدراك الأنثروبولوجي" لدى القارئ.
ولا تفوتني الإشادة بجمال الترجمة وسلاستها ودقتها، وبتميز إصدارات الشبكة العربية للأبحاث والنشر. فشكراً للناشر والمترجم!
يعرض الكاتب بأسلوب سلس لكثير من اختلاف الآراء والمدارس، وتطور الأفكار في عالم الأنثربولوجيا.
ومقدمة الكاتب على قدرٍ كبير من الأهمية والإجمال، فهي لبّ الكتاب وما الفصول إلا أمثلة متنوعة. ولهذا فالكتاب تعليم بالمثال، وإطلاق للمنظور الاجتماعي بعد استفزاز شرارة "الإدراك الأنثروبولوجي" لدى القارئ.
ولا تفوتني الإشادة بجمال الترجمة وسلاستها ودقتها، وبتميز إصدارات الشبكة العربية للأبحاث والنشر. فشكراً للناشر والمترجم!
October 12, 2017
To think like "the natives", it is imperative to adopt an empiricist approach, because pure theoretical reasoning will only lead one astray. While the human mind has a universal structure, its modes of interpreting the world, having a perspective, and organising social relationships are highly variable. These are ultimately sensible when one takes into account the relevant factors such as ecology and history. To be culturally relativistic does not mean "everything goes" and to see history ateleologically does not entail nihilism. Anthropology helps us to understand the myriad states of mind that are possible, and in doing so we can do what the Delphic maxim asks us: "Know thyself". This small book also explains clearly why anthropology can make real and pivotal changes to the world. Four stars.
April 24, 2023
لقطات منوّعة من جدالات الإنثروبولوجيين
عن الثقافة والسلطة والقيمة وعشرات الموضوعات
لا يعطي مقدمات ولا يجرّد أدوات التفكير ولا يدرّبك
تشعر بأنّك في مجلس نصف مملّ مع أكاديميّ كهل
يذكر كلّ الأشياء التي أثارت انتباهه في رحلة تعلّمه
عن الثقافة والسلطة والقيمة وعشرات الموضوعات
لا يعطي مقدمات ولا يجرّد أدوات التفكير ولا يدرّبك
تشعر بأنّك في مجلس نصف مملّ مع أكاديميّ كهل
يذكر كلّ الأشياء التي أثارت انتباهه في رحلة تعلّمه
August 2, 2020
The book truly is an introduction to anthropology as a field, not quite what its title suggests. There is no guide or toolbox that anthropologists use (and it's possible there never could be one). It reads like a highly engaging professor delivering the full semester's worth of Anthro 101 lectures.
The downside is that I feel like I'm sitting in on the lectures without having done the reading (a feeling which, if my mother is reading this review, I am totally unfamiliar with and am simply speculating on). The professor is referencing books, studies, and seminal works left and right, but barely touching on each and why they're important. To some degree this is reasonable-- the author doesn't have the ability to reprint all of the reference material, and doing so would make the book unwieldy. (The author does end with an annotated bibliography of supplemental reading if I do want to check it out).
In all I come away with no major takeaways from the book, just the idea that everything is complicated. There's a chapter on 'culture' where it explores and deconstructs the idea of culture, likewise on 'civilization,' 'nature,' etc. Of course, "everything is complicated" is an accurate statement, but it is not an enlightening one.
One passage in the conclusion reads, "Difference for difference's sake, though, is not the point of anthropology. If it were, we would indeed be dazzled, even blinded. [Instead, anthropology] also wants to make sense of these differences." Unfortunately this book leans far more heavily on the dazzling and has little to show for making sense of them. Perhaps that would be too much to ask of a book that's only 285 pages (plus end notes, bibliography, etc.).
The downside is that I feel like I'm sitting in on the lectures without having done the reading (a feeling which, if my mother is reading this review, I am totally unfamiliar with and am simply speculating on). The professor is referencing books, studies, and seminal works left and right, but barely touching on each and why they're important. To some degree this is reasonable-- the author doesn't have the ability to reprint all of the reference material, and doing so would make the book unwieldy. (The author does end with an annotated bibliography of supplemental reading if I do want to check it out).
In all I come away with no major takeaways from the book, just the idea that everything is complicated. There's a chapter on 'culture' where it explores and deconstructs the idea of culture, likewise on 'civilization,' 'nature,' etc. Of course, "everything is complicated" is an accurate statement, but it is not an enlightening one.
One passage in the conclusion reads, "Difference for difference's sake, though, is not the point of anthropology. If it were, we would indeed be dazzled, even blinded. [Instead, anthropology] also wants to make sense of these differences." Unfortunately this book leans far more heavily on the dazzling and has little to show for making sense of them. Perhaps that would be too much to ask of a book that's only 285 pages (plus end notes, bibliography, etc.).
November 17, 2017
This book was an highly accessible introduction to a subject that I'm now excited to read further.
October 28, 2017
This new Pelican series has been a treat so far, and Think Like an Anthropologist is one of the best so far. Professor Engelke approaches anthropology in a way that makes it accessible to the lay person without trivialising the topic or its methods, not an easy deed.
The book takes us through the "definition" of Anthropology to begin with. I put that within quotation marks because it starts to show the differences of the discipline from trying to define it. As someone from a biomedical background, things tend to have clearcut definitions in my world and anthropology has a different way of looking at concepts and ideas. This is the first struggle and Engelke seemed to be conscience of that. He used his writing skills and backed it up with a century of scientific anthropology to try and make us understand what is it that this discipline looks at and how it wants to do it.
Then the book goes into many methods, concepts, and ideas of the discipline of anthropology and explains them well along with case studies and famous historic examples from the Pacific to the Mediterranean, all illustrative and clear.
Whether anthropology is something that you will need or not on a professional level, this book, as its title suggests, helps use anthropological concepts to understand others, their culture, habits, behaviours, and actions.
The book takes us through the "definition" of Anthropology to begin with. I put that within quotation marks because it starts to show the differences of the discipline from trying to define it. As someone from a biomedical background, things tend to have clearcut definitions in my world and anthropology has a different way of looking at concepts and ideas. This is the first struggle and Engelke seemed to be conscience of that. He used his writing skills and backed it up with a century of scientific anthropology to try and make us understand what is it that this discipline looks at and how it wants to do it.
Then the book goes into many methods, concepts, and ideas of the discipline of anthropology and explains them well along with case studies and famous historic examples from the Pacific to the Mediterranean, all illustrative and clear.
Whether anthropology is something that you will need or not on a professional level, this book, as its title suggests, helps use anthropological concepts to understand others, their culture, habits, behaviours, and actions.
December 9, 2018
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
This book is less “how to think like an anthropologist” and more “how do some anthropologists think, and what do other anthropologists think about that”, and so on. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it goes into the history of anthropology and various examples and at times it just seems to get lost a bit. If the primary aim is to give a bit of context around anthropology and suggest how it’s relevant to everyday life, I think it succeeds in some ways, but it’s not always clear what exactly it is trying to do. At times it seems like it’s going to avoid anecdotes like “x culture thinks y” and what anthropology thinks about those, and the next it delves right in.
It’s not without interest, but I couldn’t keep my mind on following the thread at times. Possibly that means something’s wrong with my mind (or at least the way I in particular think), but history shows I’m generally pretty good at following a well put-together argument through a book, so maybe it’s the book. Regardless, while I had fun with some aspects of it, I don’t think it’s a great book.
This book is less “how to think like an anthropologist” and more “how do some anthropologists think, and what do other anthropologists think about that”, and so on. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it goes into the history of anthropology and various examples and at times it just seems to get lost a bit. If the primary aim is to give a bit of context around anthropology and suggest how it’s relevant to everyday life, I think it succeeds in some ways, but it’s not always clear what exactly it is trying to do. At times it seems like it’s going to avoid anecdotes like “x culture thinks y” and what anthropology thinks about those, and the next it delves right in.
It’s not without interest, but I couldn’t keep my mind on following the thread at times. Possibly that means something’s wrong with my mind (or at least the way I in particular think), but history shows I’m generally pretty good at following a well put-together argument through a book, so maybe it’s the book. Regardless, while I had fun with some aspects of it, I don’t think it’s a great book.
February 12, 2022
ترددت في تقييم الكتاب طويلا، حتى أثناء قراءتي إياه، إلى أن وصلت إلى الفصل الأخير منه حيث توصلت إلى قناعة، ورسوت على شاطئ فيما يخص رأيي النهائي به.
بكل صدق وأمانة، ورغم كل شيء، ألفيت الكاتب عارفا بالعلم الذي يتحدث ويكتب عنه، وملما بشكل جيد بمواضيعه التي تناولها في الكتاب، حتى إن المصادر التي يشير إليها أو يحيل عليها كانت عديدة ومتنوعة جدا، وهذا مما يُحسب إليه. ولكن، ومن جانب آخر، فإن أسلوب كتابته سيء جدا جدا. ولم أجد تشبيها أكثر بلاغة من التشبيه الشائع عن (المدرّس الذي يفهم مادته، ولكنه لا يجيد أن يشرح ولا أن يوصل المعلومة)!
أسلوب الكاتب غير واضح أبدا، وفيه الكثير من التشويش. وأحيانا كنت أجد أن عناوين الفصول في واد، ومحتواها في واد آخر! ناهيك عما يكتنف الفصول نفسها، من الداخل، من غموض في التراكيب وغرابة في المقابلات التي يقيمها بين موضوع وآخر!
أزعجني ذلك كثيرا، ولكنني سأكون ظالما إن قلت بأني لم أخرج من الكتاب بفائدة. ولكن، وفي الوقت نفسه، سأكون كاذبا إن قلت بأن الفائدة التي خرجت بها كبيرة! استفدت من الكتاب نعم، ولكن بشكل ضئيل جدا، وهو لم يعلمني "كيف أفكر كأنثروبولوجي"!
بكل صدق وأمانة، ورغم كل شيء، ألفيت الكاتب عارفا بالعلم الذي يتحدث ويكتب عنه، وملما بشكل جيد بمواضيعه التي تناولها في الكتاب، حتى إن المصادر التي يشير إليها أو يحيل عليها كانت عديدة ومتنوعة جدا، وهذا مما يُحسب إليه. ولكن، ومن جانب آخر، فإن أسلوب كتابته سيء جدا جدا. ولم أجد تشبيها أكثر بلاغة من التشبيه الشائع عن (المدرّس الذي يفهم مادته، ولكنه لا يجيد أن يشرح ولا أن يوصل المعلومة)!
أسلوب الكاتب غير واضح أبدا، وفيه الكثير من التشويش. وأحيانا كنت أجد أن عناوين الفصول في واد، ومحتواها في واد آخر! ناهيك عما يكتنف الفصول نفسها، من الداخل، من غموض في التراكيب وغرابة في المقابلات التي يقيمها بين موضوع وآخر!
أزعجني ذلك كثيرا، ولكنني سأكون ظالما إن قلت بأني لم أخرج من الكتاب بفائدة. ولكن، وفي الوقت نفسه، سأكون كاذبا إن قلت بأن الفائدة التي خرجت بها كبيرة! استفدت من الكتاب نعم، ولكن بشكل ضئيل جدا، وهو لم يعلمني "كيف أفكر كأنثروبولوجي"!
April 6, 2025
Introduzione all'antropologia accessibile a chiunque, tranquillamente senza conoscenze pregresse per entrare un po' nel mondo e non buttarsi subito a capofitto in qualche saggio specifico (che è infatti ciò che io cercavo da questo libro). Purtroppo, spesso mi è risultato dispersivo, come se non arrivasse al punto dei discorsi (e per questo avrei voluto dare 3 stelle), ma nonostante ciò sento che a casa qualcosa mi porto. Diversi racconti interessanti su popoli provenienti da varie culture, il concetto di cultura per gli antropologi, il dibattito sugli evoluzionisti sociali, il capitolo sul sangue è stato interessante, la parte sulla razza nel capitolo sull'identità, e come non abbia basi biologiche ma è un mito, ma che "essa racchiude in sé - come tutti i miti - numerosi e importanti significati culturali"; super interessante anche la parte, nel capitolo sull'autorità, dei rituali; il capitolo sulla ragione mi ha appassionata! La parte su Worth e i linguisti, sulla stregoneria negli Azande, davvero davvero interessante! Certe cose che davo per scontate non lo sono affatto, su altre sento proprio di avere una prospettiva diversa. Insomma, nonostante avessi interrotto la lettura dopo circa un terzo del libro perché mi perdevo un po' e scorreva a volte più lentamente, dopo averlo ripreso sono contenta di cosa mi ha lasciato. Soprattutto sugli ultimi capitoli si riprende un sacco.
Mi ha fatto un sacco piacere anche la lista che l'autore ha inserito alla fine del volume, dove indica una decina di saggi di colleghi ottimi per approfondire vari argomenti e prospettive.
Una nota importante per gli editori e traduttori italiani: basta con gli articoli determinativi davanti ai cognomi delle antropologhe donne! Basta! Ma poi non solo è una cosa ormai arcaica, inutile e brutta, viene anche fatto a caso perché talvolta li si trova, altre volte sono assenti. Smettetela con questa cavolata, i professionisti sono professionisti, incredibile doverlo specificare in questi termini e in relazione a un saggio del genere, che fortunatamente contiene anche posizioni apertamente femministe. Se, di certo, non scriverete "Il Malinowski", "Il Levi-Strauss", "Il Pitt-Rivers", "Il Graeber", "L'Evans-Pritchard", "Il Mauss", come se fossero vostri insegnanti o compagni di classe alle scuole superiori, allora smettete di scrivere "La James", "La Zaloom", "La Benedict", "La McKinnon", "La Martin", "La Howell", "La Strathern", "La Stack", "La Jeske"! Perché avete bisogno di specificare ripetutamente che quella studiosa citata è donna, mentre per gli uomini è necessario citare solo il cognome? Basta! E' ora di abbandonare questa usanza antiquata e subdolamente sessista.
Mi ha fatto un sacco piacere anche la lista che l'autore ha inserito alla fine del volume, dove indica una decina di saggi di colleghi ottimi per approfondire vari argomenti e prospettive.
Una nota importante per gli editori e traduttori italiani: basta con gli articoli determinativi davanti ai cognomi delle antropologhe donne! Basta! Ma poi non solo è una cosa ormai arcaica, inutile e brutta, viene anche fatto a caso perché talvolta li si trova, altre volte sono assenti. Smettetela con questa cavolata, i professionisti sono professionisti, incredibile doverlo specificare in questi termini e in relazione a un saggio del genere, che fortunatamente contiene anche posizioni apertamente femministe. Se, di certo, non scriverete "Il Malinowski", "Il Levi-Strauss", "Il Pitt-Rivers", "Il Graeber", "L'Evans-Pritchard", "Il Mauss", come se fossero vostri insegnanti o compagni di classe alle scuole superiori, allora smettete di scrivere "La James", "La Zaloom", "La Benedict", "La McKinnon", "La Martin", "La Howell", "La Strathern", "La Stack", "La Jeske"! Perché avete bisogno di specificare ripetutamente che quella studiosa citata è donna, mentre per gli uomini è necessario citare solo il cognome? Basta! E' ora di abbandonare questa usanza antiquata e subdolamente sessista.
September 17, 2025
This was probably 3.5 stars?
I liked the writing -- it was accessible and great as a sort of intro to anthropology (especially in introducing the key figures). I did read it as part of my prereading so that makes sense.
The reason it wasn't 4 stars is because it was quite hard to get through some of the chapters. Some of the concepts weren't as... interesting? I'm not really sure, maybe if I reread this after my degree I'll appreciate it more. I liked it but it's not that special.
There were some really intriguing chapters and I definitely think that it's worth the read if you want to learn more about anthropology
I liked the writing -- it was accessible and great as a sort of intro to anthropology (especially in introducing the key figures). I did read it as part of my prereading so that makes sense.
The reason it wasn't 4 stars is because it was quite hard to get through some of the chapters. Some of the concepts weren't as... interesting? I'm not really sure, maybe if I reread this after my degree I'll appreciate it more. I liked it but it's not that special.
There were some really intriguing chapters and I definitely think that it's worth the read if you want to learn more about anthropology
May 23, 2023
Wie denkt ein Anthropologe? Und was können wir von diesem Berufszweig lernen?
Dabei geht Matthew Engelke auf 9 Aspekte ein. Kultur, Zivilisation, Werte, Blut, Identität, Autorität, Reason und Natur. Denn diese Aspekte sind in gesellschaftlichen Kulturen tief verankert. Wenn wir diese Rahmenbedingungen verstehen - ohne sie zu verurteilen, können wir den Menschen als Individuum viel besser verstehen - und das alles wertfrei
Dabei geht Matthew Engelke auf 9 Aspekte ein. Kultur, Zivilisation, Werte, Blut, Identität, Autorität, Reason und Natur. Denn diese Aspekte sind in gesellschaftlichen Kulturen tief verankert. Wenn wir diese Rahmenbedingungen verstehen - ohne sie zu verurteilen, können wir den Menschen als Individuum viel besser verstehen - und das alles wertfrei
December 30, 2022
I am a tabula rasa for anthropology. No matter how many articles or books related to anthropology I have finished before, I am a total newbie in this field. I bought this book as my first one when coming to London as a SOAS MA Anthropology student. My first handbook in London.
Engelke exposes me to the quintessence question of anthropology: What is it that makes us human? He reminded me of how this field is very colonialistic in its approach: to study how the people in question think, act, and live. Apparently, it is not always about the culture and the cultural--even though they are essentials, it is still considered as a debate among anthropologists--that anthropology is studying. It is about exploring and questioning concepts, the 'common sense' of understanding humans via everyday things, even the mundanest ones. It is about taking account of the lives of others by carefully using cultural relativism. It is about making the familiar strange and the strange familiar.
I like how Engelke uses key concepts in anthropology to divide the chapters of the book: culture, civilization, values, value, blood, identity, authority, reason, and nature. Each chapter introduced me to the predominant figures in this field, even though I was hoping for more female anthropologists/ethnographers. He also puts various examples from the field, supporting his perspectives on the concepts.
Albeit I found this book very useful for my transitioning mindset from philosophy to anthropology, I should admit that the title of the book is very persuasive as I still could not find completely how I could think like an anthropologist after finishing it. This is more like an 'Anthropology 101 Book'. Especially because it mostly covers the thoughts/works of famous anthropologists from the Global North that were studying the Global South. Yes, I am aware that history is meant to be understood, but looking at how this book was published in 2017, I was a bit hoping that I could find a more contemporary, coming from Global South anthropologists. It just amplifies how colonialistic this field is.
But yes, this book has successfully turned on my sense of doing anthropology. My new task now is to document the differences in human life and make sense of them. As an anthropologist, I am here to explain and make sure the explanation depends on local knowledge, reflecting them in the same way while putting it in a more significant framework. To understand what it is that makes us human. At this point, I am thankful that I got myself trained in a comprehensive, philosophical manner of thinking and reading.
Alright, I am ready. Bring it on, anthropology.
Engelke exposes me to the quintessence question of anthropology: What is it that makes us human? He reminded me of how this field is very colonialistic in its approach: to study how the people in question think, act, and live. Apparently, it is not always about the culture and the cultural--even though they are essentials, it is still considered as a debate among anthropologists--that anthropology is studying. It is about exploring and questioning concepts, the 'common sense' of understanding humans via everyday things, even the mundanest ones. It is about taking account of the lives of others by carefully using cultural relativism. It is about making the familiar strange and the strange familiar.
I like how Engelke uses key concepts in anthropology to divide the chapters of the book: culture, civilization, values, value, blood, identity, authority, reason, and nature. Each chapter introduced me to the predominant figures in this field, even though I was hoping for more female anthropologists/ethnographers. He also puts various examples from the field, supporting his perspectives on the concepts.
Albeit I found this book very useful for my transitioning mindset from philosophy to anthropology, I should admit that the title of the book is very persuasive as I still could not find completely how I could think like an anthropologist after finishing it. This is more like an 'Anthropology 101 Book'. Especially because it mostly covers the thoughts/works of famous anthropologists from the Global North that were studying the Global South. Yes, I am aware that history is meant to be understood, but looking at how this book was published in 2017, I was a bit hoping that I could find a more contemporary, coming from Global South anthropologists. It just amplifies how colonialistic this field is.
But yes, this book has successfully turned on my sense of doing anthropology. My new task now is to document the differences in human life and make sense of them. As an anthropologist, I am here to explain and make sure the explanation depends on local knowledge, reflecting them in the same way while putting it in a more significant framework. To understand what it is that makes us human. At this point, I am thankful that I got myself trained in a comprehensive, philosophical manner of thinking and reading.
Alright, I am ready. Bring it on, anthropology.
September 10, 2022
"لقد اعتاد الصيادون جامعوا الثمار على صنع خيراتهم على مر التاريخ، بحيث اختاروا على الدوام تعزيز قيمة المساواة في حين قللوا من قيمة نزعة الملكية، في سبيل الحفاظ على نمط حياتهم، فالوجود البدوي لهؤلاء يعتمد على شيئين اثنين، هما: تقاسم الموارد، والتقليل من شأن الملكية والتراكم (فالأشياء في النهاية إن هي إلا ثقل زائد).
كيف تفكر كأنثربولوجي؟ - ماثيو أنجيلكه
كتاب ممتع للغاية وبسيط، ويمثل مقدمة بسيطة لعلم الأنثربولوجيا، لينطلق منه القارئ إلى الكتب الأكثر زخماً في هذا المجال.
يتحدث الكاتب عن الأنثربولوجيا كعلم يعتمد على العمل الميداني والتفاعل الثقافي والنسبية الثقافية التي تحترم طبائع الثقافات وتدرسها، فهو علم تفسيري يبحث عن المعنى، ويُعنى بمصطلحات مثل الثقافة والحضارة والدم والقيمة وطبيعة والعقل واللغة وغيرها، وفي كل منها ينطلق من الخاص إلى العام، على عكس العديد من العلوم، فهو علم فضفاض يُعنى بالحالات الفردية ويدرك إشاراتها الثقافية والمعرفية، فتكون مهمة الأنثربولوجي تحويل الحالة الفردية إلى نظرية ثقافية يكتشف أسسها ومراحلها تدريجياً.
وقد تناول الكتاب العديد من المفاهيم والنظريات والمصطلحات المتعلقة بالأنثربولوجيا، مثل التطور الحضاري وأثره الكارثي على النظرة التراتبية للأمم، والمصطلحات التي تسمه وتشرحه والتي التفت عنها الكاتب ولم يعترف له بالقيمة الأخلاقية، رغم القيمة المعرفية الكبيرة، ففضل استخدام مصطلح التغير الذي يصيب الثقافات.
كما تحدث عن تعاملنا بالمال الذي يحمل أبعاداً ثقافية وفكرية مهمة متمثلة في تعاملاتنا اليومية البسيطة، وعن القيمة الثقافية التي يحملها وقدرته على إنشاء أو هدم العلاقات الاجتماعية عبر العصور، وتناول مفاهيم الحضارة والهوية الفضفاضة للغاية والتي يتعامل معها علم الأنثربولوجيا على اتساعها وشموليتها وانعدام وجود تعريف محدد لها، فهو العلم الذي يدرس المفهوم المرن المتغير باستمرار، ولا يشترط أي وجود لثبات معرفي أو مفاهيمي، ما يجعله علماً صعبٌ حصره ضمن قوانين أو نظريات محددة أو عدد من الكتب تشمله.
وتحدث الكتاب عن مفهوم السلطة وعلاقتها بالطقوس التي تمارسها المجتمعات كنوع من التفريغ العاطفي الضروري، وعن العلاقة المهمة بين اللغة والعقل الاجتماعي أو "الواقع الواقعي"، فبما أن اللغة تلعب دورها في تشكيل فكر أصحابها، فإنها تلعب الدور المهم ذاته في تشكيل رؤيتهم عن العالم والطبيعة من حولهم، وإدراكهم للقوانين الطبيعية أو مسائل بسيطة مثل الجهات والاتجاهات والبديهيات، لدرجة أصبح المنظور الذي تنظر به المجتمعات إلى قوانين الطبيعة وعملياتها مرهون بثقافتها ورؤيتها المسبقة.
وفي العموم، هذا كتاب لطيف وبسيط، يُقرأ بتأنٍ وعناية، وفيه من الفائدة الكثير.
كيف تفكر كأنثربولوجي؟ - ماثيو أنجيلكه
كتاب ممتع للغاية وبسيط، ويمثل مقدمة بسيطة لعلم الأنثربولوجيا، لينطلق منه القارئ إلى الكتب الأكثر زخماً في هذا المجال.
يتحدث الكاتب عن الأنثربولوجيا كعلم يعتمد على العمل الميداني والتفاعل الثقافي والنسبية الثقافية التي تحترم طبائع الثقافات وتدرسها، فهو علم تفسيري يبحث عن المعنى، ويُعنى بمصطلحات مثل الثقافة والحضارة والدم والقيمة وطبيعة والعقل واللغة وغيرها، وفي كل منها ينطلق من الخاص إلى العام، على عكس العديد من العلوم، فهو علم فضفاض يُعنى بالحالات الفردية ويدرك إشاراتها الثقافية والمعرفية، فتكون مهمة الأنثربولوجي تحويل الحالة الفردية إلى نظرية ثقافية يكتشف أسسها ومراحلها تدريجياً.
وقد تناول الكتاب العديد من المفاهيم والنظريات والمصطلحات المتعلقة بالأنثربولوجيا، مثل التطور الحضاري وأثره الكارثي على النظرة التراتبية للأمم، والمصطلحات التي تسمه وتشرحه والتي التفت عنها الكاتب ولم يعترف له بالقيمة الأخلاقية، رغم القيمة المعرفية الكبيرة، ففضل استخدام مصطلح التغير الذي يصيب الثقافات.
كما تحدث عن تعاملنا بالمال الذي يحمل أبعاداً ثقافية وفكرية مهمة متمثلة في تعاملاتنا اليومية البسيطة، وعن القيمة الثقافية التي يحملها وقدرته على إنشاء أو هدم العلاقات الاجتماعية عبر العصور، وتناول مفاهيم الحضارة والهوية الفضفاضة للغاية والتي يتعامل معها علم الأنثربولوجيا على اتساعها وشموليتها وانعدام وجود تعريف محدد لها، فهو العلم الذي يدرس المفهوم المرن المتغير باستمرار، ولا يشترط أي وجود لثبات معرفي أو مفاهيمي، ما يجعله علماً صعبٌ حصره ضمن قوانين أو نظريات محددة أو عدد من الكتب تشمله.
وتحدث الكتاب عن مفهوم السلطة وعلاقتها بالطقوس التي تمارسها المجتمعات كنوع من التفريغ العاطفي الضروري، وعن العلاقة المهمة بين اللغة والعقل الاجتماعي أو "الواقع الواقعي"، فبما أن اللغة تلعب دورها في تشكيل فكر أصحابها، فإنها تلعب الدور المهم ذاته في تشكيل رؤيتهم عن العالم والطبيعة من حولهم، وإدراكهم للقوانين الطبيعية أو مسائل بسيطة مثل الجهات والاتجاهات والبديهيات، لدرجة أصبح المنظور الذي تنظر به المجتمعات إلى قوانين الطبيعة وعملياتها مرهون بثقافتها ورؤيتها المسبقة.
وفي العموم، هذا كتاب لطيف وبسيط، يُقرأ بتأنٍ وعناية، وفيه من الفائدة الكثير.
May 7, 2024
ليس كتاباً منهجياً، ولا يقدّم فلسفة العلم ولا مقارباته، إنما هي مصطلحات العلم التي يقرر بعضها وينقصها بعد بضع صفحات. كأنه يشحن الكتاب بكل ما عنده، وينقض ما يقرر في أكثر من باب: السلطة، الدم، الهوية، وغيرها.
غاية ما فيه أنه يرشد لبعض المراجع المتفق عليها بين أهل الفنّ -كما يزعم- لكنه لا يعلّم قارئه كيف يفكر أنثروبولوجياً.
لعل تقديم قصة الأنثروبولوجيا: فصول في تاريخ علم الإنسان كان أفضل، لربما أفدتُ من كتاب أنجيلكه أكثر حينها.
غاية ما فيه أنه يرشد لبعض المراجع المتفق عليها بين أهل الفنّ -كما يزعم- لكنه لا يعلّم قارئه كيف يفكر أنثروبولوجياً.
لعل تقديم قصة الأنثروبولوجيا: فصول في تاريخ علم الإنسان كان أفضل، لربما أفدتُ من كتاب أنجيلكه أكثر حينها.
Read
June 23, 2020Lettura: 08/10/2018 - 14/10/2018
Studio: 08/01/2019 - 13/01/2019
Esame: 30/01/2019
Voto: 30 e lode
***
Dopo aver completato gli esami della triennale, posso ufficialmente dirlo: questo è il libro migliore che abbia mai studiato (se si escludono le opere letterarie). Scorrevole, ironico ed illuminante, "Pensare come un antropologo" insegna davvero a ripensare il mondo - e noi stessi.
Studio: 08/01/2019 - 13/01/2019
Esame: 30/01/2019
Voto: 30 e lode
***
Dopo aver completato gli esami della triennale, posso ufficialmente dirlo: questo è il libro migliore che abbia mai studiato (se si escludono le opere letterarie). Scorrevole, ironico ed illuminante, "Pensare come un antropologo" insegna davvero a ripensare il mondo - e noi stessi.
July 26, 2019
“Culture is a way of seeing things, a way of thinking. Culture is a way of making sense. Culture is what prevents some people from ever thinking that crickets could be classed as ‘food’. Culture is also what fills our head in the process of thinking in a particular way." Solid explanation. Need something like this for further life references.
September 12, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it lost a star because I did find the first few chapters difficult to get through, it felt like a lot of talking without saying much. I also found that some of the more abstract chapters (e.g. ‘reason’ or ‘ethics’) included a lot of studies and vignettes that I struggled to link to the supposed chapter topic, but perhaps that’s my lack of understanding on top of the fact that such abstract ideas are difficult to concretely discuss.
However, I did find the book fairly easy to read thanks to each chapter being broken into smallish chunks with a range of studies that gave the effect of travelling the world through the book. The author was pretty witty and i found it enjoyable to read in the way of feeling like I was sharing a niche advanced joke with the author. I also found his choice of study examples really interesting and diverse (as a medical anthropology student, I was pleased to see some core examples from this field) in both time and place.
I can imagine it isn’t a perfect book for beginners as it’s discussion of what an anthropologist should actually think like is a bit all over the place, so if you’re seeking instruction I’d recommend reading around a little before getting to this book. If, however, you’re looking for a great introductory compilation of studies and essays and ideas, this book is really interesting.
However, I did find the book fairly easy to read thanks to each chapter being broken into smallish chunks with a range of studies that gave the effect of travelling the world through the book. The author was pretty witty and i found it enjoyable to read in the way of feeling like I was sharing a niche advanced joke with the author. I also found his choice of study examples really interesting and diverse (as a medical anthropology student, I was pleased to see some core examples from this field) in both time and place.
I can imagine it isn’t a perfect book for beginners as it’s discussion of what an anthropologist should actually think like is a bit all over the place, so if you’re seeking instruction I’d recommend reading around a little before getting to this book. If, however, you’re looking for a great introductory compilation of studies and essays and ideas, this book is really interesting.
December 9, 2022
This exceeded expectations. It also made me appreciate the two years of social anthropology I took at uni since I was familiar with almost every anthropologist mentioned. I wish I'd been better at anthropology back then since I feel I understand the field better now that I've moved on and matured. But I wish I'd read this book at the time; Engelke summarises the field's thinkers better than my professors did. He covers far more ground than I thought he would too. Rather than playing up ethnography to wow his lay audience, he dispenses his examples strategically and always to service his arguments and show how anthropological thought has evolved through the decades.
However, rage welled up in me as Engelke talked about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in Chapter 8. Minus 1 star for Sapir-Whorf stanning.
However, rage welled up in me as Engelke talked about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in Chapter 8. Minus 1 star for Sapir-Whorf stanning.
February 3, 2023
A general introduction to social anthropology as a social science, but even more than that an introduction to the ways of thinking that make social anthropology such an interesting and unique field. Engelke centers on the concept of Culture as central to what is studied in the field, but then explores and explodes the preconceived ideas about what words mean.
If the book shows something is how Anthropology can work as a kind of deprogramming of preconceptions, in fact each chapter of the book has the title of a concept like "civilization", "values", "identity" or "reason" and proceeds to deconstruct the concept as it is understood in mainstream Western European and US cultures by giving anthropological examples of how our concepts are completely culturally specific and not tied to some "natural" human conception.
This is a fascinating book, and as a person who has a degree in Social Anthropology, taken some 20 years ago, it was great to take a little refresher course on some of the biggest names and ideas in the field while reading it. However, this is a book that would be pretty much accessible to any one with an interest in questioning their own views of humanity. Fascinating stuff.
If the book shows something is how Anthropology can work as a kind of deprogramming of preconceptions, in fact each chapter of the book has the title of a concept like "civilization", "values", "identity" or "reason" and proceeds to deconstruct the concept as it is understood in mainstream Western European and US cultures by giving anthropological examples of how our concepts are completely culturally specific and not tied to some "natural" human conception.
This is a fascinating book, and as a person who has a degree in Social Anthropology, taken some 20 years ago, it was great to take a little refresher course on some of the biggest names and ideas in the field while reading it. However, this is a book that would be pretty much accessible to any one with an interest in questioning their own views of humanity. Fascinating stuff.
August 3, 2022
It was a surprisingly accessible read. I thought it was going to be very technical and hard to understand, but I actually found it quite easy and it was even funny at some points. This book doesn’t have to only be read by people who are interested in anthropology. It can be read by anyone, and I would recommend it to anyone. It definitely made me want to learn more about anthropology. Although as it’s fiction, it can get a little slow, so I did struggle to stick with it at some points.
August 25, 2024
I struggled with this book a little bit. It didn’t seem very cohesive, and it felt like the tangents on different studies/examples did not lead to a firm understanding of the principle discussed, whether it be blood, value, nature, etc.
Nevertheless, I did mark up the book quite a bit and intend to return to some of the case studies/examples mentioned. In that sense, the book was worthwhile.
Nevertheless, I did mark up the book quite a bit and intend to return to some of the case studies/examples mentioned. In that sense, the book was worthwhile.
February 22, 2022
A great introduction into some basic concepts of anthropology. The author gives specific examples of experiments and researches that have been made.and he also makes a historical narration of major anthropologists that have shaped the field.
March 27, 2018
Read this for school, and it seemed pretty legit to me. Engelke is clear, concise, engaging and adept at making antrhopology simply for basic numbskulls like me. I read this for class, and I do not expect to remember any of it.
November 15, 2022
I read this book along with Ernst Schumacher’s 1973 book Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, and they somehow correspond to each other.
Before reading this book, I only had a vague idea of anthropology is, and most of it comes from the casual stroll in Cambridge’s Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology (which has a lovely logo), and the TV series Bones. I have no idea that this subject can be so inspiring. This book does provide me a some new insights into another way of thinking, weirdly, about economics as well. This is yet another reminder for myself to keep an open mind.
I think I have been less cynical lately and more willing to interact with my fellow human beings. When I graduated after three years of studying Economics, I wrote that human beings are beautiful - observing them and trying to figure out why they do what they do is fascinating. Voila here I am finally find social anthropology, which says something deeper - being a human being is beautiful.
Before reading this book, I only had a vague idea of anthropology is, and most of it comes from the casual stroll in Cambridge’s Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology (which has a lovely logo), and the TV series Bones. I have no idea that this subject can be so inspiring. This book does provide me a some new insights into another way of thinking, weirdly, about economics as well. This is yet another reminder for myself to keep an open mind.
I think I have been less cynical lately and more willing to interact with my fellow human beings. When I graduated after three years of studying Economics, I wrote that human beings are beautiful - observing them and trying to figure out why they do what they do is fascinating. Voila here I am finally find social anthropology, which says something deeper - being a human being is beautiful.
July 13, 2020
An interesting and thought provoking read - a little hard to follow in places but overall good!
July 26, 2025
I am still thinking about this. With non-fiction books, we like to ask, "what did you learn?" To that, I would say, "We are parrots."And that could mean many different things, but not *anything.* I am, after all, not a parrot. This is what this book has done to my brain.
Reading this book feels like listening to contrapuntal melodies (to put it positively) or being seasick (to put it negatively). The author puts forward one theory, only to rebut it a few paragraphs later. Sometimes this works wonderfully to elucidate the difficulty of anthropology, when we ourselves are a human with a certain nature and culture that are difficult or maybe impossible to distance ourselves from. Sometimes it got too vague, and I couldn't discern a point at all.
Still, there are tons of interesting ideas in here. The author actually spends less time on anecdotes than you might imagine, which I think was a good choice, and prevents the book from devolving into pure pop-science storytelling. He cites the work of many important figures in anthropology, though sometimes I think strays too far into recounting the internal politics of the field for the layman reader.
Some ideas that have stuck with me:
- Everyone alive now is living in the "modern age", modern hunter-gatherers are not living "in the past."
- Values are like weathervanes, they're "fixed" yet often move about or change direction on account of the situation. Contradictory behaviors can be explained by appealing to the same values. Values "underscore the fact that humans are meaning-making animals."
- This book points out many different ways that capitalism informs the Western mindset and what we consider "common sense." Take something seemingly as basic as exchange. In the Western mindset, exchange is based on equal value assessment of items, and is considered complete once the items have changed hands. This makes it easy to treat objects as commodities, and people as interchangeable actors. But there's no reason for it to be this way. The author gives examples of cultures in which items exchanged have no functional purpose or inherent value, and cultures in which "debt" is seen as a positive affirmation of social ties.
- Many other cultures place a stronger emphasis on *performing* identity and familial relationships than on having an inherent identity and on biological relations. This doesn't imply denying biological relations or facts, but simply placing less emphasis on them. This feels very practical and natural to me. Also, "identity, like race, is both an utter illusion and a material reality."
- "Globalization does not necessitate the erasure of cultural difference. The threat of cultural homogenization, real or imagined, is the best way to ensure new cultural flourishings." We are actually not all turning into coffee shop hipsters, what a relief!
- "language ideology": all your beliefs about language and what it is for. "ideology of authenticity" says that our language expresses *who* we are. "ideaology of anonymity" says that language is to be a communication medium belonging to anyone who speaks it. These can co-exist.
- Back to the parrots. "We are parrots" is apparently a phrase spoken by men of the Bororo tribe whose meaning has been the subject of much debate among anthropologists for decades. From expressing a dual nature, to metaphor, to irony. The author says, "Taken to an extreme, the reliance on analogy and the play of tropes risks reducing cultural differences to the point of inconsequence. "They are just like us" might sound respectful, but it also gives another meaning to the phrase, colonization of consciousness." Literal versus figurative is a framework invented in the Western mindset, and doesn't really exist in some other cultures. He goes on to cite the work of Viveiros de Castro (who sounds like a very interesting anthropologist!) who argues that understanding how Bororo think involves thinking like them, to the best of your ability. "Every anthropological project should contain within it something alien and other." This rings true to me. In my own small way I feel I've encountered the same idea in my life: I learned Spanish in my late twenties, and maybe it's because I'm not completely fluent, but I really feel that the language I speak subtly changes my personality and the way I think. I say things in one language that I wouldn't say in the other. I think there's truth to the idea that you can't know someone fully until you speak their native language.
- This insight about ethics from the field of cognitive anthropology which I found brilliant. "Children do not need to learn to be empathetic, they share even when no self-interest is at stake, and they value fairness. That doesn't make these actions ethical in themselves..we should think of them as affordances. Their use results from a combination of objective and contingent factors."
It would be interesting to read more about anthropological history. I recently listened to a history podcast about the Spanish conquest of Mexico, and the story contained several important moments in which the native Mexica's actions didn't seem to make sense. I wonder what an anthropological analysis of that story would reveal, and if we even know enough about Mexica worldview to do that analysis.
I think there's a lot of interesting things to think about at the intersection of feminism and anthropology. I'm stopping here because this review is way too long!
I would recommend this book if you are interested in the diversity and common underpinnings of human thinking, culture, and language. And if you can put up with some overly academic dithering.
Reading this book feels like listening to contrapuntal melodies (to put it positively) or being seasick (to put it negatively). The author puts forward one theory, only to rebut it a few paragraphs later. Sometimes this works wonderfully to elucidate the difficulty of anthropology, when we ourselves are a human with a certain nature and culture that are difficult or maybe impossible to distance ourselves from. Sometimes it got too vague, and I couldn't discern a point at all.
Still, there are tons of interesting ideas in here. The author actually spends less time on anecdotes than you might imagine, which I think was a good choice, and prevents the book from devolving into pure pop-science storytelling. He cites the work of many important figures in anthropology, though sometimes I think strays too far into recounting the internal politics of the field for the layman reader.
Some ideas that have stuck with me:
- Everyone alive now is living in the "modern age", modern hunter-gatherers are not living "in the past."
- Values are like weathervanes, they're "fixed" yet often move about or change direction on account of the situation. Contradictory behaviors can be explained by appealing to the same values. Values "underscore the fact that humans are meaning-making animals."
- This book points out many different ways that capitalism informs the Western mindset and what we consider "common sense." Take something seemingly as basic as exchange. In the Western mindset, exchange is based on equal value assessment of items, and is considered complete once the items have changed hands. This makes it easy to treat objects as commodities, and people as interchangeable actors. But there's no reason for it to be this way. The author gives examples of cultures in which items exchanged have no functional purpose or inherent value, and cultures in which "debt" is seen as a positive affirmation of social ties.
- Many other cultures place a stronger emphasis on *performing* identity and familial relationships than on having an inherent identity and on biological relations. This doesn't imply denying biological relations or facts, but simply placing less emphasis on them. This feels very practical and natural to me. Also, "identity, like race, is both an utter illusion and a material reality."
- "Globalization does not necessitate the erasure of cultural difference. The threat of cultural homogenization, real or imagined, is the best way to ensure new cultural flourishings." We are actually not all turning into coffee shop hipsters, what a relief!
- "language ideology": all your beliefs about language and what it is for. "ideology of authenticity" says that our language expresses *who* we are. "ideaology of anonymity" says that language is to be a communication medium belonging to anyone who speaks it. These can co-exist.
- Back to the parrots. "We are parrots" is apparently a phrase spoken by men of the Bororo tribe whose meaning has been the subject of much debate among anthropologists for decades. From expressing a dual nature, to metaphor, to irony. The author says, "Taken to an extreme, the reliance on analogy and the play of tropes risks reducing cultural differences to the point of inconsequence. "They are just like us" might sound respectful, but it also gives another meaning to the phrase, colonization of consciousness." Literal versus figurative is a framework invented in the Western mindset, and doesn't really exist in some other cultures. He goes on to cite the work of Viveiros de Castro (who sounds like a very interesting anthropologist!) who argues that understanding how Bororo think involves thinking like them, to the best of your ability. "Every anthropological project should contain within it something alien and other." This rings true to me. In my own small way I feel I've encountered the same idea in my life: I learned Spanish in my late twenties, and maybe it's because I'm not completely fluent, but I really feel that the language I speak subtly changes my personality and the way I think. I say things in one language that I wouldn't say in the other. I think there's truth to the idea that you can't know someone fully until you speak their native language.
- This insight about ethics from the field of cognitive anthropology which I found brilliant. "Children do not need to learn to be empathetic, they share even when no self-interest is at stake, and they value fairness. That doesn't make these actions ethical in themselves..we should think of them as affordances. Their use results from a combination of objective and contingent factors."
It would be interesting to read more about anthropological history. I recently listened to a history podcast about the Spanish conquest of Mexico, and the story contained several important moments in which the native Mexica's actions didn't seem to make sense. I wonder what an anthropological analysis of that story would reveal, and if we even know enough about Mexica worldview to do that analysis.
I think there's a lot of interesting things to think about at the intersection of feminism and anthropology. I'm stopping here because this review is way too long!
I would recommend this book if you are interested in the diversity and common underpinnings of human thinking, culture, and language. And if you can put up with some overly academic dithering.
January 25, 2021
Great book which I might suggest to all the people who ask me what anthropology actually means! It's a nice introduction to some, although of course not all, important research areas of anthropology.
I find in some places the structure of sentences or paragraphs could have been better though (I read the Italian translation so I wouldn't know about the original though).
I find in some places the structure of sentences or paragraphs could have been better though (I read the Italian translation so I wouldn't know about the original though).
May 28, 2018
I was reading this book on the train last week when a fellow passenger (the train company calls us "customers") asked me about the book. He was a younger man and said he had considered buying it, offering that he wasn't an anthropologist. I replied that I wasn't one either, recommending the book while explaining how it was organised and written, handing it over for him to look at.
In all my time of travelling on trains, I have never been asked what I was reading, so this was fascinating. What an anthropologist would make of it I don't know. Matthew Engelke explains that anthropological studies can occur anywhere, not just Malinowski in the South Seas or Evans-Pritchard among the Nuer, and he provides a wide range of examples. His book is a compact paperback, suitable for all kinds of travel or seating arrangements.
The purpose of the book is to explain various anthropological ideas and practices. Key players, their approaches and different perspectives are introduced and discussed – what they included and left out, what they thought about human beings and so on. Engelke, an American teaching in London, has an easy prose style, explaining and critiquing in almost equal measure.
The book is organised into specific topics, beginning with The Familiar and the Strange and then examining Culture; Civilization; Values; Value; Blood; Identity; Authority; Reason; and Nature, before concluding with the same heading as the book. He provides a plausible explanation of cultural relativism, which revolves around the idea that an anthropologist can't judge, much as a scientist isn't supposed to if it comes to that. Obviously science and anthropology is also a theme.
One of the earlier discussions – about "social evolutionism" – interested me greatly, as this perspective was influential around the turn of the last century in particular, with its presumption that "primitive" peoples of the present represented a less developed humanity and so were a window into the past. Lucien Levy-Bruhl gets a run here ("How Natives Think"), whose views influenced Jung: he referenced him at any rate. Engelke shows the difficulties of this position.
The personologist David Keirsey, not exactly a fan of Jung, apparently thought that an appreciation of social anthropology was advisable when trying to understand people; I think Clifford Geertz, mentioned a few times in this book, compared anthropology with travel writing, which made me think of Eric Newby or Bill Bryson, neither mentioned here, of course.
This book fulfils a number of needs: to explain what anthropology is and what anthropologists think, have thought and do. If you don't know anything about anthropology then this is a book to read. If you know a little, or something, then it's an even better book because you come across some familiar names and have their ideas teased out in a fashion that makes them more understandable.
This book is also available in hardback, which I usually prefer. However, the title (perhaps reflecting a US publisher's view) is different – "How to think like an Anthropologist" – which I think misses the point of the book by a long way. It's not a "how to" book, but one that brings you in to the world of anthropology, a place where different things are investigated and there are a variety of views and explanations expressed and contended. And anthropologists aren't all the same in the way they go about their craft. Having said that, there appears to be a cultural imperative these days that "we" all do the same things, or if not, then we should anyway.
In all my time of travelling on trains, I have never been asked what I was reading, so this was fascinating. What an anthropologist would make of it I don't know. Matthew Engelke explains that anthropological studies can occur anywhere, not just Malinowski in the South Seas or Evans-Pritchard among the Nuer, and he provides a wide range of examples. His book is a compact paperback, suitable for all kinds of travel or seating arrangements.
The purpose of the book is to explain various anthropological ideas and practices. Key players, their approaches and different perspectives are introduced and discussed – what they included and left out, what they thought about human beings and so on. Engelke, an American teaching in London, has an easy prose style, explaining and critiquing in almost equal measure.
The book is organised into specific topics, beginning with The Familiar and the Strange and then examining Culture; Civilization; Values; Value; Blood; Identity; Authority; Reason; and Nature, before concluding with the same heading as the book. He provides a plausible explanation of cultural relativism, which revolves around the idea that an anthropologist can't judge, much as a scientist isn't supposed to if it comes to that. Obviously science and anthropology is also a theme.
One of the earlier discussions – about "social evolutionism" – interested me greatly, as this perspective was influential around the turn of the last century in particular, with its presumption that "primitive" peoples of the present represented a less developed humanity and so were a window into the past. Lucien Levy-Bruhl gets a run here ("How Natives Think"), whose views influenced Jung: he referenced him at any rate. Engelke shows the difficulties of this position.
The personologist David Keirsey, not exactly a fan of Jung, apparently thought that an appreciation of social anthropology was advisable when trying to understand people; I think Clifford Geertz, mentioned a few times in this book, compared anthropology with travel writing, which made me think of Eric Newby or Bill Bryson, neither mentioned here, of course.
This book fulfils a number of needs: to explain what anthropology is and what anthropologists think, have thought and do. If you don't know anything about anthropology then this is a book to read. If you know a little, or something, then it's an even better book because you come across some familiar names and have their ideas teased out in a fashion that makes them more understandable.
This book is also available in hardback, which I usually prefer. However, the title (perhaps reflecting a US publisher's view) is different – "How to think like an Anthropologist" – which I think misses the point of the book by a long way. It's not a "how to" book, but one that brings you in to the world of anthropology, a place where different things are investigated and there are a variety of views and explanations expressed and contended. And anthropologists aren't all the same in the way they go about their craft. Having said that, there appears to be a cultural imperative these days that "we" all do the same things, or if not, then we should anyway.
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