Implicit Meanings: Selected Essays in Anthropology

by Mary Douglas, Mary Douglas

Implicit Meanings was first published to great acclaim in 1975. It includes writings on the key themes which are associated with Mary Douglas' work and which have had a major influence on anthropological thought, such as food, pollution, risk, animals and myth. The papers in this text demonstrate the importance of seeking to understand beliefs and practices that are implicit and a priori within what might seem to be alien cultures.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Social Science

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Tom Muddiman]

A very interesting and engaging broad sweep across Mary Douglas's work. Some of it (particularly the latest chapters) very difficult to follow but with some very deep and reflective thinking about the nature of rules, symbols, regulation with implications across social science.

[Jeremy]

Douglas explains jokes in terms of "anti-ritual" (5).