1st Edition

Other Cultures Aims, Methods and Achievements in Social Anthropology

By John H.M. Beattie Copyright 1964

    Other Cultures provides a lucid introduction to social anthropology. The author devotes the first part of the book to a consideration of what social anthropology is and seeks to do, what areas it covers, and the methods of investigation employed by social anthropologists. The second part discusses the major categories of research through which social anthropologies have advanced our knowledge of other cultures. These include marriage, kinship, political organization, law, economic and property relations, magic, religion, and social change. The final chapter surveys some of the contributions social anthropology has made to the understanding of other cultures. A short reading list follows each chapter.

    Part 1; Chapter 1 Introduction and Background; Chapter 2 Social Anthropology and Some Other Sciences of Man; Chapter 3 What Social Anthropologists Study; Chapter 4 Explanation in Social Anthropology; Chapter 5 Beliefs and Values; Chapter 6 Fieldwork; Part 2; Chapter 7 Kinship; Chapter 8 Marriage and Affinity; Chapter 9 Social Control; Chapter 10 Social Control; Chapter 11 Economic and Property Relations; Chapter 12 The Field of Ritual; Chapter 13 The Field of Ritual; Chapter 14 Social Change; Chapter 15; Conclusion and Assessment;

    Biography

    John Beattie

    `Beautifully written and exceptionally lucid ... explains what social anthropologists are up to, what kind of assumptions they make about their material.' - New Statesman