Description And Comparison In Cultural Anthropology

How are different cultures to be described and compared? This book provides a clear and concise discussion of the theoretical issues involved in ethnographic description and comparative study. Taking up the classic problems in the study of of social organisation, Professor Goodenough describes the major issues in the cross-cultural study of kinship and the family, revealing the kinds of constants, both formal and functional, on which such study must be based. The result is new definitions of marriage, family and parenthood for use in cross-cultural analysis and a greater understanding of this form of analysis itself. The statement on the interdependence of description and comparison in cultural anthropology and its implications for a science of culture, provides fresh insights into cross-cultural analysis for both the theoretical and the practical anthropologist.

The Lewis Henry Morgan Lectures are intended to commemorate both the man and his work the latter being viewed as having provided an admirably broad and substantial base for anthropologists of later generations to build upon, as they have done and continue to do in diverse ways. Professor Goodenough's work, in the past and in this book particularly, emphasizes the vitality and fruitfulness of Morgan's contributions. Not only do these lectures carry forward Morgan's interests in kinship; they reflect as well his concern for comparative studies undertaken with the aim of ultimately understanding mankind. Moreover, Professor Goodenough has elucidated recent developments in the collection, analysis, and presentation of cultural data in ways that make it easier for all of us to see how his methods (in themselves specialized) can broaden and deepen our understanding of culture and of man. Morgan, himself a pioneer in method, would surely have been an attentive auditor-and discussant-at Professor Goodenough's Lectures, and in his seminars and the less formal events in which he participated while at Rochester, and to which he contributed so much. This volume is an expanded version of the Lewis Henry Morgan Lectures delivered at the University of Rochester, April 2 to 11, 1968. Alfred Harris was a professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Rochester. He served as the chair of the anthropology from 1964-1971 and he was well known for being the editor of the Lewis Henry Morgan Lectures.

Presents a systematic rethinking of the power and limits of comparison in anthropology.

An international group of anthropologists take a fresh look at various neglected approaches to comparison and present new approaches that are relevant to the globalized world of the 21st century.

A collection of chapters on the essential topics in cultural anthropology. Different from other introductory textbooks, this book is an edited volume with each chapter written by a different author. Each author has written from their experiences working as an anthropologist and that personal touch makes for an accessible introduction to cultural anthropology.

Shows how comparative ethnographic methods can be successfully used to study important human concerns in anthropology.

The Tapestry of Culture: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology provides students and the interested public with a concise picture of the field of cultural anthropology today. From the first edition of Tapestry of Culture published in the early 1980s until now, anthropology has changed greatly, responding to scholarly and political influences as well as changing generations; the ninth edition reflects this ongoing transformation. The influence of postmodernism has generated new debates over theory and practice in anthropology. The content of Tapestry explains these debates, as well as what is still generally accepted and agreed upon by most anthropologists. This edition provides the instructor, student and lay public with the information necessary to enable them to critically read the literature of anthropology, more specifically ethnographic texts which are still the heart of this field. The approach of the book is to accommodate the various points of view in anthropology today. It shows how the concepts, ideas and behavior of other cultures are translated into our culture's terms. Though today many emphasize each culture's uniqueness, the presence of cultural similarities is compelling. Using a comparative approach, The Tapestry of Culture reveals cultural similarities, as well as the cultural differences.