The Study of Culture

by L.L. Langness

In this update of the 1987 and 1974 editions, Langness (anthropology, psychiatry, U. of California, Los Angeles) introduces the study of a ubiquitous concept in the social sciences that is a only a century old. With liberal quotes from cultural anthropologists, he traces the history of a "a human science of human beings." He reviews and critiques schools of thought on culture from evolutionists (who view civilized society as many steps removed from primitive man) to those arguing for cultural relativity and postmodernism. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Genres: Anthropology

345 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Alienne Laval · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belongs to the best introductions to the subject of anthropology whose definition as social science I always denied, no matter the official and public definitions. Anthropology is communication science.

[Saira · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fairly easy to follow, and discussing the main concepts after each chapter definitely helped me understand the history and components of cultural anthropology. However, the author relied a lot on large quotes from other sources. I felt that a lot of these quotes were often times unnecessary and difficult to understand. Overall, after reading this book, I have an increased knowledge of several overrated white men.