The Rise of Anthropological Theory: A History of Theories of Culture

by Marvin Harris

The best known, most often cited history of anthropological theory is finally available in paperback! First published in 1968, Harris's book has been cited in over 1,000 works and is one of the key documents explaining cultural materialism, the theory associated with Harris's work. This updated edition included the complete 1968 text plus a new introduction by Maxine Margolis, which discusses the impact of the book and highlights some of the major trends in anthropological theory since its original publication. RAT, as it is affectionately known to three decades of graduate students, comprehensively traces the history of anthropology and anthropological theory, culminating in a strong argument for the use of a scientific, behaviorally-based, etic approach to the understanding of human culture known as cultural materialism. Despite its popularity and influence on anthropological thinking, RAT has never been available in paperback_until now. It is an essential volume for the library of all anthropologists, their graduate students, and other theorists in the social sciences.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, History, Academic, Theory, Philosophy

822 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

American anthropologist Marvin Harris was born in Brooklyn, New York. A prolific writer, he was highly influential in the development of cultural materialism. In his work he combined Karl Marx's emphasis on the forces of production with Malthus's insights on the impact of demographic factors on other parts of the sociocultural system. Labeling demographic and production factors as infrastructure, Harris posited these factors as key in determining a society's social structure and culture.

Reviews

[pronoti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biggest appeal of this book, for me, is its comprehensive nature. Harris manages to give his critique of the different schools of thoughts he describes while submitting before the readers a huge pool of factual information. his narratives on the rise and development of anthropological theories made it very easy, for me as a reader, to grasp the chronlogy of thoughts and theories without making the process mechanical or boring.
harris' critique of other schools of thought has to be taken with a grain of salt though. similarly, contestations on his cultural materialism do have their own merits.
harris' book is useful for both teachers and researchers. i read it as part of my anthropology course but it is for anyone wanting to know more about theories of socio cultural sphere. his book manages to capture the complexity of theorization without making it unreadable or boring. his writing style is simple, managing to explain theories without dumbing it down.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book for those students and researchers who really want to get serious about understanding the social sciences and their relevance to the pressing issues of the day. A must read to untangle the confusion that is the social sciences.

From the Publisher:
"The best known, most often cited history of anthropological theory is now available in paperback. First published in 1968, Harris's book has been cited in over 1,000 works and is one of the key documents explaining cultural materialism. This updated edition includes the complete 1968 text plus a new introduction by the author, which discusses the impact of the book and highlights some of the major trends in anthropological theory since its original publication. RAT, as it is affectionately known to three decades of graduate students, comprehensively traces the history of anthropology and anthropological theory, culminating in a strong argument for the use of a scientific, behaviorally-based, etic approach to the understanding of human culture known as cultural materialism."

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit dated but offers a good entry point into the history of the field of anthropology.

[Anonymous4999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start with a warning: The Rise of Anthropological Theory is NOT a good introductory to the discipline of anthropology. Marvin Harris' book is incredibly academic and technical and serves as a critique of the state of the discipline as it existed circa the late 1960s.
I went in with the wrong impression of what the book was about and despite only understanding maybe 40% of what I read AT BEST I pushed through and finished it.
Let me repeat myself, this is NOT a good introduction to anthropology and is more suited to actual anthropology students than the average layman.

[Mikegcecil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic

In the 1970s as an undergraduate I could not put the book down; it defined a new level of critical thinking. Today, I reread the book, and discover a whole new wealth information, analysis, and scholarship that I missed before.

[Roberto Yoed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este libro deja claro por qué Harris no es un marxista per se: desprecia la obra de Hegel y no logra entender la trascendencia de las leyes dialécticas en el análisis de Marx y Engels.

Sin embargo, su recapitulación de las teorías y críticas a Strauss valen la pena de leer.

[Kass · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it's just my being tired of reading all the anth texts this semester. Maybe it's my frustration with the whole "theory" issue. I am slightly more confused about marxism and cultural materialism than I was before I read this. It was helpful to see Harris' ideas on his cultural materialism, but ugh...

[Emily]

Partially read. We read this in our lab meeting to get more background on theory. Ugh. It really isn't a 'reader' on theory, but Harris's opinions, alone.

[Jimena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adoro a Marvin Harris.

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gran gran libro para entender las corrientes de la antropología, de forma clara y resumida.

[Tyler Gahan]

heavily biased writing, but useful to get a sense of the history of anthropological thought.

[Catarina]

thorough...