Issues in Cultural Anthropology: Selected Readings

by David W. McCurdy, James P. Spradley

What accounts for war? Why is there religion? Is human behavior inherited or learned? Does language shape perception? Why is incest taboo found in every society? What explains possession by evil spirits? Still a unique approach to the study of important, multi-sided issues in cultural anthropology, this collection of 27 readable essays gives a realistic picture of what the process of science is like, reveals the debate that surrounds ideas, and shows the development and refinement that take place when scientists challenge one another. Topics include culture, language, social organization, kinship, rank, ecology, economic systems, politics, and religion,- and each is associated with a particular issue, which in turn is developed by three interrelated articles. The arrangement of the articles demonstrates the unfolding of particular debates and lines of argument and provides much greater context for understanding. Often later articles cite earlier ones, contributing to a sense of integration. Individual articles that might normally require additional explanation if they stood alone become comprehensible in this larger context.

390 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1987

About the author

Dianna Shandy is a Cultural Anthropologist and teaches at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. She is the author of three books."