The Subject of Virtue

The anthropology of ethics has become an important and fast-growing field

in recent years. This book argues that it represents not just a new subfield

within anthropology but a conceptual renewal of the discipline as a whole,

enabling it to take account of a major dimension of human conduct which

social theory has so far failed adequately to address.

An ideal introduction for s...

The anthropology of ethics has become an important and fast-growing field

in recent years. This book argues that it represents not just a new subfield

within anthropology but a conceptual renewal of the discipline as a whole,

enabling it to take account of a major dimension of human conduct which

social theory has so far failed adequately to address.

An ideal introduction for students and researchers in anthropology and

related human sciences.

-Shows how ethical concepts such as virtue, character, freedom and responsibility

may be incorporated into anthropological analysis

-Surveys the history of anthropology’s engagement with morality

-Examines the relevance for anthropology of two major philosophical

approaches to moral life

JAMES LAIDLAW is a Lecturer in the Division of Social Anthropology, and

Fellow of King’s College, at the University of Cambridge.