Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local Lives

ISBN: 041548538X

Author: Eller, Jack David

Condition: New

About the Author Jack David Eller is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the Community College of Denver. He is the author of Introducing Anthropology of Religion (Routledge 2007). He is also the editor for the visual anthropology and ethnographic film section of the Anthropology Review Database. Product Description Cultural Anthropology: Global forces, local lives  is an accessible ethnographically rich cultural anthropology textbook which gives a coherent  and refreshingly new vision of the discipline and its subject matter-human diversity. The fifteen chapters and three extended case studies present all of the necessary areas of cultural anthropology, organizing them in conceptually and thematically meaningful and original ways. A full one-third of its content is dedicated to important global and historical cultural phenomena such as colonialism, nationalism, ethnicity and ethnic conflict, economic development, environmental issues, cultural revival, fundamentalism, and popular culture.  The more conventional topics of anthropology (language, economics, kinship, politics, religion, race) are integrated into this broader discussion to reflect the changing content of contemporary courses.This well written and well organised text has been trialled both in the classroom and online. The author has extensive teaching experience and is especially good at presenting material clearly matching his exposition to the pace of students' understanding. Specially designed in colour to be useful to today's students, Cultural Anthropology: Global forces, local lives:supports study with chapter case studies on subjects as diverse as "Doing Anthropology at Microsoft" to "Banning Religious Symbols in France"explains difficult key terms with marginal glosses and links related topics with marginal cross-referencesassists revision with boxed chapter summaries, an extensive bibliography and indexillustrates concepts and commentary with a vivid range of photographs drawn from the most contemporary anthropological sourcesprovides a support website which includes study guides, powerpoint presentations, chapter supplements, multiple-choice, essay, and assignment questions, a model course mapped to the textbook, a flashcard glossary of terms, links to useful maps    Review "I am overall ecstatic about this book. It is thorough, historically situated and current, written in a pleasurable and approachable but also complex and intellectual manner, it covers a broad range of topics and examples without being overbloated, overwrought, and domineering (a problem with many standard textbooks).  Dr Eller's voice is clear and carries through what is exciting and fascinating about anthropology while also critically rigorous and complex... In short, for me, this is the best textbook I have yet encountered...the 'standards' in the field are twice as expensive and half as good."- Faidra Papavasilliou, Georgia State University"I must say that this is probably the best introductory textbook I have ever come across It offers students the nuts and bolts of our discipline, while simultaneously offering topics of contemporary importance. - John T. Friedman, Roosevelt Academy, Utrecht University "This is a resource I am excited to offer my students. Eller includes numerous personal experiences and each is presented in a way that anthropology majors and non-anthropology majors can understand. At the same time he challenges the reader to understand the complexities of other world views. This text will enhance the learning experience for students of diverse backgrounds." - Jason T. Younker, Rochester Institute for Technology "Very accessible to students, and a very good textbook. There is a lot of attention to clarifying issues and concepts. The section We all live anthropological lives is a unique and good addition." - Vance Geiger, University of Central FloridaA student writes: " I have enjoyed the accessibility and thorough exploration of th