Economies and Cultures: Foundations of Economic Anthropology

by Richard R. Wilk

More than any other anthropological subdiscipline, economic anthropology constantly questions and debates the practical motives of people as they go about their daily lives. Tracing the history of the dialog between anthropology and economics, Richard R. Wilk and Lisa C. Cliggett move economic anthropology beyond the narrow concerns of earlier debates and place the field directly at the center of current issues in the social sciences. They focus on the unique strengths of economic anthropology as a meeting place for symbolic and materialist approaches and for understanding human beings as both practical and cultural. In so doing, the authors argue for the wider relevance of economic anthropology to applied anthropology and identify other avenues for interaction with economics, sociology, and other social and behavioral sciences. The second edition of Economies and Societies contains an entirely new chapter on gifts and exchange that critically approaches the new literature in this area, as well as a thoroughly updated bibliography and guide for students for finding case studies in economic anthropology.

Genres: Anthropology, Economics, Nonfiction, Social Science, Academic

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 1996

Reviews

[Omace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic, yet solid intro to Economic Anthropology.

[Ludmila R · Rating 5 out of 5]

užila jsem si to

[nicols · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more enticing than I thought it would be

[Rob Woodard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of economic anthropology in all its guises. Works best as a critique of various approaches. Falls down a touch when the author attempts to meld various viewpoints into one coherent framework. Still, highly recommended.

[Leanne Hoffmann]

Read a few chapters a few years ago in a college class. Would like to take it up again.

[Sovatha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy to read, introduce you to main concepts in Economic Anthropology: Substantivist VS. Formalist, political economy, how economic behaviors are embedded in social relations, and many more.

[Phoenix2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book about economics and anthropology

[J]

As the title suggests, this book gives a pretty solid foundation of what economic anthropology is. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I actually still remembered some of the basics of micro- and macroeconomics, ahaha.