What Is Anthropology?

Hva er #4

by Thomas Hylland Eriksen

Leading anthropologist Thomas Hylland Eriksen shows how anthropology is a revolutionary way of thinking about the human world. Perfect for students, but also for those who have never encountered anthropology before, this book explores the key issues in an exciting and innovative way. Eriksen explains how to see the world from below and from within – emphasising the importance of adopting an insider's perspective. He reveals how seemingly enormous cultural differences actually conceal the deep unity of humanity.Lucid and accessible, What is Anthropology? draws examples from current affairs as well as anthropological studies. The first section presents the history of anthropology, its unique research methods and some of its central concepts, such as society, culture and translation. Eriksen shows how anthropology helps to shape contemporary thinking and why it is inherently radical.In the second section he discusses core issues in greater detail. Reciprocity, or exchange, or gift-giving, is shown to be the basis of every society. Eriksen examines kinship in traditional societies, and shows why it remains important in complex ones. He argues nature is partly cultural, and explores anthropological views on human nature as well as ecology. He delves into cultural relativism and the problem of understanding others. Finally, he describes the paradoxes of identity – ethnic, national, religious or postmodern, as the case may be.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Sociology, Science, Academic

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Geir Thomas Hylland Eriksen was a Norwegian anthropologist known for his scholarly and popular writing on globalization, identity, ethnicity, and nationalism. He was Professor of Social Anthropology in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo. He has previously served as the President of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (2015–2016), as well as the Editor of Samtiden (1993–2001), Norsk antropologisk tidsskrift (1993–1997), the Journal of Peace Research, and Ethnos.
Hylland Eriksen was among the most prolific and highly cited anthropologists of his generation, and had been recognized for his remarkable success in bringing an anthropological perspective to a broader, non-academic audience. In Norway, Hylland Eriksen was a well-known public intellectual whose advocacy of diversity and cultural pluralism had earned both praise and scorn. Right-wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, cited Eriksen critically in his manifesto and during his 2012 trial.
In the academy and beyond, Hylland Eriksen had been highly decorated for his scholarship. He was the recipient of honorary degrees from Stockholm University (2011), the University of Copenhagen (2021), and Charles University in Prague (2021), as well as one of anthropology's most prestigious honors, the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography's Gold Medal (2022). He was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

Reviews

[Osore Misanthrope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Истакнуто овде.

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for an introductory book about anthropology, and found this one very helpful. It gives a good overview across the breadth of the subject, with easy-to-read chapters that deal with the various different areas.

The first part focuses on the history of anthropology and its key concepts, but I really found the second part more interesting. The five key areas of reciprocity, kinship, nature, thought, and identification are very practical with lots of examples. To me, those show how much anthropology has changed since the days of observers watching "primitive tribes" and how I can not only use some of the ideas to learn more about myself and the society I live in, but also about others.

An excellent read for beginners and anyone who is curious and would like to know a little more than the basics found in a short explanation.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

this one is actually quite good. i haven't read anything on anthropology before and this book gave me much food for thought. i think, anthropology is a must-have knowledge when we start talking about organizational and corporate culture - after all, the community at work is not much different from any community at all. i also think, an HR must be a bit of an athropologist to do his job well. and a bit of a shaman, in these terms, too

[Vladimir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very, very good introduction into the sociocultural anthropology.
Easy to read, easy to understand, gives you a high quality global picture of the domain.

Read it in 6-8 hours.

[Shun Chan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book achieved its aim, to introduce the academic field of anthropology, from overview, methodology, to fundamental concepts. Though as a general reader I find the author’s writing style convoluted and too formal. It would benefit from including more diverse representation of ethnography examples (for instance, east asia was barely mentioned).

[Marian Leica · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read, especially for anyone studying anthropology or having an affinity for the domain. Well structured and comprehensive, making note of the important topics in the history of the domain that makes anthropology what it is today. Wish I had this book in my first year as a student.

[Antonina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it as psychology student for an introductory cours in anthropology. The writing and language of the author is beautiful and intellectual, if I may say so. However, I don't think the book is really destined at total "dummies" in anthropology. It gives an impression of describing the tip of the iceberg for people who have seen the whole iceberg, meaning, who already have some bases in this science, at least are fully comfortable with the terminology. A typical sentence contains at least a couple of anthropological (or, perhaps simply scientific) terms that are only briefly explained beforehand if at all, so that you slowly lose your sense of understanding of what's written (unless you compile a by side dictionary of these terms). I would have preferred a, perhaps, less intellectual, but more plain-written and accessible book.

Here are some examples of sentences you can read (I opened on a random page):

"Since anthropology has ambition to build scientific knowledge itself, a relativistic attitude to knowledge would at least partly undermine our own project. However, the value of studying science as a cultural construction does not necessitate taking position as to whether it is more or less credible than other forms of knowledge around the world".

I personally had trouble accessing the meaning of this type of text...
The first chapter was very good though, that's why I bought the book initially.

[Dawn Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to the topic of anthropology due to the fact that the language used within it allows those without 'university speak' to understand the terms and concepts included within the pages easily.

With a two part layout, and the key concepts of Anthropology laid out, I found this book very useful for the development of my study in this area of expertise for my PhD.

Having to study so many text books where we often find ourselves understanding the words, but not when placed in sentences or paragraphs, this book offers the reader a sigh of relief, as well as additional reading in certain aspects of the subjects covered.

Highly recommend this book for all those keen to understand more about the subjects of Anthropology, Culture and Society... because let's face it, the world is becoming even more confusing... especially for those of us who think and like to question narratives.

[Dimitrii Ivanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хорошо организованный учебник, разве что иногда слишком лапидарный. Ясно выраженная авторская позиция, при этом описание основных направлений и понятий дисциплины нейтральное, с указаниями на авторские личные предпочтения.

[Linda Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had trouble reading this and the organization of the book was hard.

[Lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Учебник, которого всем нам так не хватает — внятно, по делу, да ещё и с юмором. Спасибо моему другу Феде за это чудесное чтение.

[Vasilis Stefanou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introductory book on Anthropology, its basic terms and the pioneers that evolved the discipline with their case studies.