"Unique and important . . . Patterns of Culture is a signpost on the road to a freer and more tolerant life." -- New York TimesA remarkable introdu...
read full description
reviews
Dec 17, 2009
Will
rated it: 
Probably the most interesting and compelling introduction to anthropology you could ever hope for. Ruth Benedict lays out some basic principles - that anyone who's ever wondered about the society they live in should read - backed up with explorations of three incredibly fascinating cultures. This is a very profluent book, so I feel I can safely recommend it to people who have never read non-fiction before.
Patterns of Culture is a book that will change the way you see the world.
Patterns of Culture is a book that will change the way you see the world.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 16, 2011
Cassandra
rated it: 
This is the first (and, likely, only) cultural athro book I've read. I enjoyed it, but the set up of the chapters drove me crazy. It was a lot of information in each chapter, without line breaks or subheadings. I'm the type of person that likes reading a chapter when they sit down. I couldn't do that with this book, since most of the chapters were 40 pages or more. My roommate says that the way the chapters are set up is a function of the time period it was written in. Since I'm not a athr
More...
Jan 15, 2009
monika
rated it: 
Read for a Cultural Theory class, but as engrossing as if I had picked it up on my own. Benedict, an obvious student of Franz Boas, argues that all cultures could be traced back to a basic core principal, she calls them "intellectual mainsprings," which one can find embodied in a culture's many manifestations, like marriage customs, religion, trading partners-- a pattern if you will. She includes three short ethnographies which highlight some of her points, so there is a bit more appli
More...
Nov 17, 2011
Kmorgenstern
rated it:
This book was a very interesting read. It helped me put into perspective cultural values that we take for granted as 'universal'. There are no universal values or ethics - every culture shapes reality according to their own value priorities. Thus it put a large question mark on my mind as to how to solve certain problems that we face as a species - how are we ever going to find a common ground from which to tackle these? I found the perspective of analysis interesting - Apollonian versus Dionysi
More...
Jul 14, 2011
In her book Patterns of Culture, Ruth Benedict examines the concept of cultural relativity by examining three indigenous groups in different areas around the world. These groups are: the Zuni, the Dobu and the Kwakiutl of the pacific northwest of North America. Written in 1934, the book reveals is age by the seemly derogatory terms by today’s standards. However, within the confines of the book, it appears as though Benedict is looking at the margins of the culture area for patterns which are bey
More...
Jun 09, 2009
I remember this for the basic dichotomy of 'Apollonian' and 'Dionysian' cultures. I suspect Benedict chose the case studies she did because she felt they best represented polar forms of this dichotomy. Real societies, of course, aren't neatly cut in two--so she tended to exaggerate a bit betimes, probably.
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 22, 2012
Saskia
rated it:
I was surprised when I learned it was written in the early 1920s! Definitely some problem areas, but still quite resonant with today etc.
Sep 11, 2008
Laura
rated it:
I think all my texts from degree #1 were intriguing. But this is a straight text book and I suppose even I don't often pleasure read anthropology essays. However, I think this is the one that has the references to some of my favorite "Did you know somewhere in the world there are people who..." references from the BA days.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 03, 2008
Eli
rated it:
this book does ethnography of 3 distinct groups of people, but it is very superficial and ethnographic data seems distorted by benedict's attempts to make each culture fit the pattern she picks for them. it is valuable as a historical account of american cultural relativism and benedict's method.
Sep 26, 2008
Galen
rated it:
Another good read for anthropology, I really liked learning all kindsa wacky stuff different tribes do, bizarre nature of humans never ceases to amaze because normality is culturally defined and equally bizarre in every culture.
Oct 23, 2007
Dana
rated it: 
This book suprisingly escaped me in college, and I found it in a garage sale after I moved to Chicago. This book was exactly what I had planned for and was satisfying none the less.
Feb 11, 2012
Feb 10, 2012
Feb 10, 2012
