The field of political anthropology is complicated by a breadth and depth of interests that include every kind of ethnographically and historically represented political community, and nearly every kind of recorded political practice, behavior, and organization. To make sense of this array of information, political anthropologists examine political topics and issues in the context of research paradigms that include structural-functionalism, pro-cessualism, political economy, political evolution, and, arguably, post-modernism. In Political Anthropology, Donald V. Kurtz examines how anthropologists think about politics, political organizations, and problems fundamental to political anthropology. He explores the ideas with which they address universal political concerns, the paradigms that direct political research by anthropologists, and political topics of special interest.

What can anthropology and political science learn from each other? The authors argue that collaboration, particularly in the area of concepts and methodologies, is tremendously beneficial for both disciplines, though they also deal with some troubling aspects of the relationship. Focusing on the influence of anthropology on political science, the book examines the basic assumptions the practitioners of each discipline make about the nature of social and political reality, compares some of the key concepts each field employs, and provides an extensive review of the basic methods of research that "bridge" both disciplines: ethnography and case study. Through ethnography (participant observation), reliance on extended case studies, and the use of "anthropological" concepts and sensibilities, a greater understanding of some of the most challenging issues of the day can be gained. For example, political anthropology challenges the illusion of the "autonomy of the political" assumed by political science to characterize so-called modern societies. Several chapters include a cross-disciplinary analysis of key concepts and issues: political culture, political ritual, the politics of collective identity, democratization in divided societies, conflict resolution, civil society, and the politics of post-Communist transformations.

This collection represents a better understanding of ancient people's attempts at situating economic life within society. Some of the topics covered include a social and economical analysis of ancient, pre-State Greece, Athens in particular; of the classical Maya; the Maori women and slaves; of rural India; rural Kentucky; and of pre-industrial Japan. Edited by Colin Duncan and David Tandy Volume Three of the Critical Perspectives on Historic Issues series Scholars affected by Polanyi's ideas came together to present talks at international conferences, and from those conferences arose this collection which represents a move toward a better understanding of the ancient people's attempts at situating economic life within particular societies. Some of the topics covered include a social and economical analysis of ancient, pre-State Greece, Athens in particular; of the classical Maya; the Maori women and slaves; of rural India; rural Kentucky; and of preindustrial Japan. Contributors include: Walter Donlan, Ian Morris, John Adams, Vernon Scarborough, William Schaniel. The essays in this volume demonstrate the breadth of Polanyi's influence across many disciplines. Contributors include: Walter Donlan, Ian Morris, John Adams, Vernon Scarborough, William Schaniel. Table of Contents Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction - Colin A. M. Duncan and David W. Tandy 1 Karl Polanyi's Distinctive Approach to Social Analysis and the Case of Ancient Greece: Ideas, Criticisms, Consequences - David W. Tandy and Walter C. Neale 2 Chief and Followers in Pre-State Greece - Walter Dolan 3 The Community Against the Market in Classical Athens - Ian Morris 4 The Institutional Theory of Trade and the Organization of Intersocial Commerce in Ancient Athens - John Adams 5 Water Management as a Function of Locational and Appropriational Movements and the Case of the Classic Maya of Tikal 6 Hansatsu: Local Currencies in Pre-Industrial japan - Makoto Maruyama 7 potatoes, muskets, and a Changing Community: How the Changing Economic Roles of Women and Slaves Remained Embedded in Maori Society, 1769-1839 8 Exposure and Protection: The Double Movement in the Economic History of Rural India - Walter C. Neale 9 Time and the Economy in a Northeastern kentucky Region - Rhoda Halperin Colin A. M. Duncan is adjunct assistant professor of history at Queen's University in Kingston, where he specializes in the environmental history of British agriculture. David W. Tandy is associate professor of classics at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville; his specialty is early Greece. Volume Three of the Critical Perspectives on Historic Issues series 1995: 186 pages

In considering how anthropologists have chosen to look at and write about politics, Joan Vincent contends that the anthropological study of politics is itself a historical process. Intended not only as a representation but also as a reinterpretation, her study arises from questioning accepted views and unexamined assumptions. This wide-ranging, cross-disciplinary work is a critical review of the anthropological study of politics in the English-speaking world from 1879 to the present, a counterpoint of text and context that describes for each of three eras both what anthropologists have said about politics and the national and international events that have shaped their interests and concerns. It is also an account of how intellectual, social, and political conditions influenced the discipline by conditioning both anthropological inquiry and the avenues of research supported by universities and governments. Finally, it is a study of the politics of anthropology itself, examining the survival of theses or schools of thought and the influence of certain individuals and departments.

The financial crisis and its economic and political aftermath have changed the ways that many anthropologists approach economic activities, institutions and systems. This insightful volume presents important elements of this change. With topics ranging from the relationship of states and markets to the ways that anthropologists’ political preferences and assumptions harm their work, the book presents cogent statements by younger and established scholars of how existing research areas can be extended and the new avenues that ought to be pursued.

This book provides an up-to-date introduction to the important and growing field of urban anthropology. This is an increasingly critical area of study, as more than half of the world's population now lives in cities and anthropological research is increasingly done in an urban context. Exploring contemporary anthropological approaches to the urban, the authors consider: How can we define urban anthropology? What are the main themes of twenty-first century urban anthropological research? What are the possible future directions in the field? The chapters cover topics such as urban mobilities, place-making and public space, production and consumption, politics and governance. These are illustrated by lively case studies drawn from a diverse range of urban settings in the global North and South. Accessible yet theoretically incisive, Introducing Urban Anthropology will be a valuable resource for anthropology students as well as of interest to those working in urban studies and related disciplines such as sociology and geography.

Now in its fourth edition, Exploring Medical Anthropology provides a concise and engaging introduction to medical anthropology. It presents competing theoretical perspectives in a balanced fashion, highlighting points of conflict and convergence. Concrete examples and the author’s personal research experiences are utilized to explain some of the discipline’s most important insights, such as that biology and culture matter equally in the human experience of disease and that medical anthropology can help to alleviate human suffering. The text has been thoroughly updated for the fourth edition, including fresh case studies and a new chapter on drugs. It contains a range of pedagogical features to support teaching and learning, including images, text boxes, a glossary, and suggested further reading.

The Routledge Companion to Contemporary Anthropology is an invaluable guide and major reference source for students and scholars alike, introducing its readers to key contemporary perspectives and approaches within the field. Written by an experienced international team of contributors, with an interdisciplinary range of essays, this collection provides a powerful overview of the transformations currently affecting anthropology. The volume both addresses the concerns of the discipline and comments on its construction through texts, classroom interactions, engagements with various publics, and changing relations with other academic subjects. Persuasively demonstrating that a number of key contemporary issues can be usefully analyzed through an anthropological lens, the contributors cover important topics such as globalization, law and politics, collaborative archaeology, economics, religion, citizenship and community, health, and the environment. The Routledge Companion to Contemporary Anthropology is a fascinating examination of this lively and constantly evolving discipline.