How to Think Like an Anthropologist

What is anthropology? What can it tell us about the world? Why, in

short, does it matter? For well over a century, cultural anthropologists

have circled the globe, from Papua New Guinea to suburban

England and from China to California, uncovering surprising facts

and insights about how humans organize their lives and articulate

their values. In the process, anthropology has don...

What is anthropology? What can it tell us about the world? Why, in

short, does it matter? For well over a century, cultural anthropologists

have circled the globe, from Papua New Guinea to suburban

England and from China to California, uncovering surprising facts

and insights about how humans organize their lives and articulate

their values. In the process, anthropology has done more than any

other discipline to reveal what culture means—and why it matters.

By weaving together examples and theories from around the world,

Matthew Engelke provides a lively, accessible, and at times irreverent

introduction to anthropology, covering a wide range of classic and

contemporary approaches, subjects, and practitioners. Presenting

a set of memorable cases, he encourages readers to think deeply

about some of the key concepts with which anthropology tries to

make sense of the world—from culture and nature to authority and

blood. Along the way, he shows why anthropology matters: not only

because it helps us understand other cultures and points of view but

also because, in the process, it reveals something about ourselves

and our own cultures, too.

Matthew Engelke is professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. An award-winning author and teacher, he is also a former editor of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute.