Ruth Benedict: A Humanist in Anthropology / Edition 30

by Margaret Mead, Lois Banner, Nancy Lutkehaus

Overview

By weaving discussions of the personal and professional writings of Ruth Benedict (1887--1948), Margaret Mead offers a deeply insightful portrait of a woman who overcame the barriers of sexism to become one of the most compelling intellectual figures in twentieth-century American life. In this work, Mead defends Benedict's humanistic approach to anthropology and considers her most important works.

Benedict's work is also presented in the context of her personal life. Benedict was a shy young woman who felt alienated from her conservative family and society's expectations. Ultimately, she defined her life through her extraordinary work in anthropology and a commitment to public service. Benedict believed that anthropology should speak to contemporary ethical and political questions.

In addition to a selection of Benedict's anthropological writings, this edition includes new forewords by two leading Benedict scholars.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231134910
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	11/02/2005
Series:	Columbia Classics in Anthropology
Edition description:	Thirtieth Anniversary Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.48(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Margaret Mead was one of the most influential anthropologists of the twentieth century. She was the author of Coming of Age in Samoa, among other works.Lois Banner is professor of history and gender studies at the University of Southern California. Her works include Intertwined Lives: Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, and Their Circle.Nancy Lutkehaus is an associate professor of anthropology and chair of the Gender Studies Program at the University of Southern California. She is author of Zaria's Fire: Engendered Moments in Manam Ethnography, Papua New Guinea, as well as work about Margaret Mead.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	vii
	Foreword	xix
	Preface	xliii
	Acknowledgments	xlv
	Ruth Benedict, A Humanist in Anthropology	1
	Selected Papers	79
	Introduction	79
	Configurations of Culture in North America	80
	Magic	105
	An Introduction to Zuni Mythology	115
	Primitive Freedom	134
	Self-Discipline in Japanese Culture	146
	The Study of Cultural Patterns in European Nations	159
	Anthropology and the Humanities	165
	Selected Bibliography of the Writings of Ruth Benedict	177

What People are Saying About This

Lois Banner

Mead's biography of Benedict stands as both an important historical reckoning and a documentation of a mode of anthropological understanding in the discipline's early years. We can learn a good deal about professional commitment and the history of the intellect in the twentieth century through reading it.

— Lois Banner, from the foreword to Ruth Benedict