Perspectives on Culture: A Critical Introduction to Theory in Cultural Anthropology

This book provides a critical introduction to theory in cultural anthropology—from the perspective of the philosophy of science. It imparts the analytical skills needed to assess the often contradictory claims to knowledge and theoretical perspectives encountered in the study of general anthropology. KEY TOPICS Chapter topics cover science and anthropology: epistemological questions, evolutionism and the beginnings of anthropology during the nineteenth century, the Diffusionists, historical particularism, functionalism and modern anthropology, structural-functionalism, French structuralism, ethnoscience and cognitive anthropology, symbolic anthropology and the interpretation of culture, scientific anthropology, materialist and Marxist anthropology, postmodern anthropology, and anthropology in the 21st century. For individuals seeking reliable, valid knowledge about humankind, human behavior, and the evolution and operation of sociocultural systems.