Synopses & Reviews
Volume 8 of the Histories of Anthropology Annual series, the premier series published in the history of the discipline, explores national anthropological traditions in Britain, the United States, and Europe and follows them into postnational contexts. Contributors reassess the major theorists in twentieth-century anthropology, including the work of luminaries such as Franz Boas, Claude Land#233;vi-Strauss, Bronisand#322;aw Malinowski, A. R. Radcliffe-Brown, and Marshall Sahlins, as well as lesser-known but important anthropological work by Berthold Laufer, A. M. Hocart, Kenelm O. L. Burridge, and Robin Ridington, among others.
These essays examine myriad themes such as the pedagogical context of the anthropologist as a teller of stories about indigenous storytellers; the colonial context of British anthropological theory and its projects outside the nation-state; the legacies of Claude Land#233;vi-Straussand#8217;s structuralism regarding culture- specific patterns; cognitive universals reflected in empirical examples of kinship, myth, language, classificatory systems, and supposed universal mental structures; and the career of Marshall Sahlins and his trajectory from neo-evolutionism and structuralism toward an epistemological skepticism of cross- cultural miscommunication.
Review
andldquo;Another fine contribution to the diverse histories of our field. Like all volumes in the series,
Anthropologists and Their Traditions across National Borders challenges us to think beyond standard renditions of an anthropology that presumably andlsquo;stays putandrsquo; in space and time. Exploring the work of both well-known and largely forgotten anthropologists, this volume compels us to travel into theoretical and methodological borderlands where traditions like functionalism, structuralism, and applied anthropology may not be exactly what they seem.andrdquo;andmdash;Luke Eric Lassiter, author of
The Chicago Guide to Collaborative Ethnographyand#160;
Synopsis
In the post-9/11 world, governments are using the threat of terrorism to justify tightening national security and restricting basic human rights. This timely book addresses the implications of this trend, revealing human rights inequities from nation to nation and the consequences of these inequities worldwide. Inspired by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Andrew Fagan considers the nature of the state, national identity, and citizenship. His comprehensive and succinct text explores judicial violations and legal restrictions that permit state-sponsored torture, indefinite detention, capital punishment, and police brutality. Vividly illustrated with colorful maps and charts, The Atlas of Human Rights charts both the progress and limitation of free expression and media censorship. It displays the areas that are beset with wars, conflict, migration, and genocide; details the geographic status of sexual freedom, racism, religious freedom, and the rights of the disabled; focuses on women's rights, sex slavery, and the rights of the child. As intolerance threatens diversity on a global scale, The Atlas of Human Rights serves as a crucial intervention to preserving and extending freedom.
Synopsis
By beginning a conversation that encourages self-examination and compassion, Combined Destinies invites readers to look at how white Americans have been hurt by the very ideology that their ancestors created. Editors Ann Todd Jealous and Caroline T. Haskell, both experienced psychotherapists skilled at facilitating dialogue about racial issues, are cognizant of the challenges that even the thought of such conversations often presents. Their book is based on the premise that for positive and lasting change to occur, hearts as well as minds must be opened. This courageous anthology posits that unearned privilege has damaged the psyche of white people as well as their capacity to understand racism. Drawing on the intimate stories of diverse contributors, Combined Destinies is organized thematically, with individual chapters focusing on topics such as guilt, shame, silence, and resistance. The book includes an extensive reader’s guide, posing questions for discussion pertaining to each chapter and offering readers a chance to explore their own experiences.
About the Author
Regna Darnell is the Distinguished University Professor of Anthropology and First Nations Studies at the University of Western Ontario. She is the author of Invisible Genealogies: A History of Americanist Anthropology (Nebraska, 2001) and Edward Sapir: Linguist, Anthropologist, Humanist (Nebraska, 2010). Frederic W. Gleach is a senior lecturer of anthropology and the Curator of the Anthropology Collections at Cornell University. He is the author of Powhatanand#8217;s World and Colonial Virginia: A Conflict of Cultures (Nebraska, 1997).