An Introduction to Theory in Anthropology

by Robert Layton

Overview

This introduction to anthropological theory, written for undergraduate students, reviews the ideas that have inspired anthropologists in their studies of societies around the world. It offers a clear and concise analysis of the key theories, past and present, and traces the way in which they have been translated into anthropological debates. It shows how various theoretical perspectives have shaped competing, or complementary, accounts of specific ethnographic finds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521629829
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/08/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	5.47(w) x 8.54(h) x 0.71(d)

Table of Contents

1. The idea of a social system; 2. Functionalism; 3. Structuralism; 4. Interactionist theory; 5. Marxist anthropology; 6. Socioecology; 7. Postmodernism and anthropology.

Editorial Reviews

'In a concise, readable book, Layton has produced a theoretical guide that will find itself a ready audience almost immediately. This book will make a significant addition to an already full shelf of good introductory texts on anthropology, and frankly it is the text that many might crave for archaeological theory.' Antiquity

From the Publisher