DownloadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2024

The Ceremonial Animal

A New Portrait of Anthropology

Wendy James author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:25th Nov '04

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

This paperback is available in another edition too:

The Ceremonial Animal cover

Adapting Wittgenstein's concept of the human species as 'a ceremonial animal', Wendy James writes vividly and readably. Her new overview advocates a clear line of argument: that the concept of social form is a primary key to anthropology and the human sciences as a whole. Weaving memorable ethnographic examples into her text, James brings together carefully selected historical sources as well as references to current ideas in neighbouring disciplines such as archaeology, paleoanthropology, genetics, art and material culture, ethnomusicology, urban and development studies, politics, economics, psychology, and religious studies. She shows the relevance of anthropology to pressing world issues such as migration, humanitarian politics, the new reproductive technologies, and religious fundamentalism. Wendy James's engaging style will appeal to specialist and non-specialist alike. The Foreword is written by Michael J. Lambek, Professor of Anthropology, University

ISBN: 9780199263349

Dimensions: 235mm x 159mm x 20mm

Weight: 640g

410 pages