Think Like an Anthropologist

Think Like an Anthropologist

Summary

'Subtle and self-reflexive. . . an excellent overview of the debates and issues that have shaped this hugely influential social science' - Guardian

How does anthropology help us understand who we are?
What can it tell us about culture, from Melanesia to the City of London?
Why does it matter?

For well over one hundred years, social and cultural anthropologists have traversed the world from urban Zimbabwe to suburban England, Beijing to Barcelona, uncovering surprising facts, patterns, predilections and, sometimes, the inexplicable, in terms of how humans organize their lives and articulate their values. By weaving together theories and examples from around the world, Matthew Engelke brilliantly shows why anthropology matters: not only because it allows us to understand other points of view, but also because in the process, it reveals something about ourselves too.

Reviews

  • Engelke's subtle and self-reflexive study presents an excellent overview of the debates and issues that have shaped this hugely influential social science. . . Using an eclectic range of examples, including "bridewealth" in modern China and the role of social values in Downton Abbey, he shows how anthropology reveals both the limits of common sense and the universal lessons that can be drawn from communities everywhere
    PD Smith, Guardian

About the author

Matthew Engelke

Matthew Engelke is Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics. A prize-winning author and teacher, he is also past Editor of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute and has written for the Guardian, The Times, and Public Books.
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