We all recognize that the world is getting smaller. Instantaneous global communications, trade among far-flung nations, geopolitical events affecting countries and hemisphere, and the ease of international travel are bringing people and cultures into more intimate contact with one another than ever before, forcing this generation of students to become more knowledgeable about societies other than their own. With that in mind, this textbook is grounded in the belief that an enhanced global awareness is essential for people preparing to take their place in the fast-paced, increasingly interconnected world of the 21st century. Anthropology is ideally suited to introduce students to a global perspective. Each of subfields of anthropology has a broad focus on humanity; this helps liberate students from narrow, parochial view and enables them to see and understand the full sweep of the human condition.
The anthropological perspective, which stresses critical-thinking processes, the evaluation of competing hypotheses, and the skills to generalize from specific data and assumptions, contributes significantly to a well-rounded education. This text engages readers in the varied intellectual activities underlying the anthropological approach by delving into both classic and recent research in the fields that make up anthropology.
This text reflects a strong commitment to anthropology’s traditional holistic and integrative approach. It spells out how the four basic subfields of anthropology-physical anthropology, archeology, linguistics, and ethnology-together yield a comprehensive understanding of humanity. Because the subfields tend to overlap, insights from all of them are woven together to reveal the holistic fabric of a particular society or the threads uniting all of humanity.
An interdisciplinary outlook resonates throughout this book. All contemporary anthropologists draw on the findings of biologists, paleontologists,geologists,economists,historians,psychologists,socialists,political scientists,religious studies specialists,philosophers,and researchers in other fields whose work sheds light on anthropological inquiry. In probing various anthropological topics, this text often refers to research conducted in these other fields. In addition to enlarging the scope and reach of the text, exploring interactions between anthropology and other fields sparks the critical imagination that brings the learning process to life.
The comparative approach , another traditional cornerstone of the anthropological perspective, is spotlighted in the text as well. When anthropologists assess the fossil evidence, artifacts,languages,or cultural beliefs and values, they weigh comparative evidence while acknowledging the unique elements of each society and culture. This text casts an inquiring eye on materials from numerous geographical regions and historical eras to enrich student understanding.
A diachronic approach also characterizes this book. In evaluating human evolution, prehistoric social structure, anthropologists must rely on models that reflect changes through time, so this diachronic orientation suffuses the text.