Culture, People, Nature [antikvár]

PREFACE The inspiration for the second edition of this book is the same as for the first. It derives from my belief that anthropology possesses an underlying unity—a unity that must be preserved despite the rapid growth of specialized knowledge. It seems to me that the need for an anthropology with a global and holistic perspective is even greater now than it was a few years ago, since the tendency for college curricula to be atomized remains unchecked. In preparing this edition I have also remained faithful to the belief that anthropologists routinely deal with facts and theories that are crucial to informed discussions of issues of great and enduring relevance. It is in the attempt to deal with these globally relevant and enduring concerns that I have learned to value the unitary approach. I have never had to hunt for excuses for writing a text that draws upon all four fields. Chapter by chapter the interconnectedness of anthropological knowledge seems to flow as a natural consequence of asking basic questions about the origin and meaning of human existence. Nonetheless, this edition does differ from its predecessor in a number of respects. I have, of course, tried to update the entire book to make it conform with new research findings and with the on-going development of theory and expert opinion. But I have also tried to be responsive to complaints about the first edition's topical coverage. Extensive new sections on genetics, linguistics, and sex roles have been added and I have written whole new chapters on archaeology, warfare, religion, art, and psychological anthropology. To avoid a substantial increase in the number of pages, cuts had to be made somewhere. I decided that the best place to make the necessary excisions was in the chapters devoted to kinship which many instructors had complained about as being too difficult for begmning students.