This comprehensive survey of contemporary thought in biological, social and cultural anthropology sets the foundation for their future development and integration. The principal rationale behind the Encyclopedia is to overcome the division and fragmentation within the approaches of the humanities and natural sciences to anthropology. It emphasizes interconnections between perspectives and sub-disciplines, producing a complete perspective on what it means to be human. The work consists of three parts--Humanity, Culture, and Social Life--and 40 major contributions. Part One emphasizes human beings as members of a species, how that species differs from others, how it has evolved, and how human populations have adapted to and in turn transformed their environments. Part Two deals with the origin and structure of human culture, and on the role of culture in action, perception, and cognition. Part Three examines the various aspects of the relationships and processes that are carried on by persons and groups in the course of social life. Useful features such as cross-references within the text, full biographical references, suggestions for further reading and carefully illustrated line drawings make this an indispensable resource for all students of anthropology or sociology.
Part 1 Humanity: concepts of humanity and animality; evolution of early hominids; human evolution - the last one million years; the origins and evolution of language; the social transmission of information in humans and non-human animals; tools; modes of subsistence - hunting and gathering to agriculture and pastoralism; the diet and nutrition of human populations; demographic expansion - causes and consequences; disease and the destruction of human populations. Part 2 Culture: culture and environment in evolutionary theory; symbolism - the foundations of human culture; artefacts and the meaning of things; technology; fundamentals of ethno-biological classification; spatial organization and the built environment; perceptions of time; literacy; magic, religion and the rationality of belief; myth and cosmology; ritual and performance the anthropology of art; music and dance; the politics of culture - ethnicity and nationalism. Part 3 Social life: sociality among humans and non-human animals; rules and prohibitions - the form and content of human kinship; socialization and personhood; social aspects of language use; understanding sex and gender; work, the division of labour and co-operation; exchange and reciprocity; process of law and dispute settlement; violence and warfare; political domination and cultural evolution; equality and inequality; the nation state, colonial expansion and the contemporary world order.
Biography
Tim Ingold
