Amazon Town
A Study of Human Life in the Tropics
Richard Pace author Conrad Kottak author Charles Wagley author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:9th Jan '14
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Charles Wagley (1913-1991) was an American anthropologist specializing in rural Latin America. His principal focus was Brazil, where he is considered one of the founders of contemporary Brazilian Anthropology. He made major contributions to the concept of cultural areas for Latin America (including a typology of subcultures for the region) and to the notion that race was a cultural construct. He conducted extensive research in the Amazon among indigenous and peasant peoples. Out of the latter came his classic description of peasant life (e.g. rubber tappers) in the Amazon- Amazon Town. Co-authors Conrad Kottak and Richard Pace have revised and updated Charles Wagley's Amazon Town to coincide with Wagley's 100th birthday in late 2013. Revisions include a new foreword by Conrad Kottak, and a new preface and chapter by Richard Pace.
"I very much appreciate Wagley's masterful, ethnographic treatment of his subject matter. He writes engrossing prose and conveys a wealth of information to the reader in the process...I value what he accomplished within the parameters of Anthropology in his own era of research. I also like the fact that he was willing to tackle the difficult issues of development and to open areas of further research, which concern quality of life in relation to technological change...I would recommend Amazon Town to colleagues as occupying an important place in the anthropological literature on Brazil, and as useful in more than one course..." Leslie Straub, Providence College "Wagley's text is a classic ethnography written from a humanistic perspective, as he himself states in the preface. As such, Wagley successfully links much of what he describes in Gurupá to broader practices in Brazil, Latin America, rural environments, and, indeed, the human condition. Thick with description and detail, he deftly weaves the particular into the whole and back again. Of special note is the clarity and directness of his writing style." Rosana Resende, University of Florida "This book is a fundamental reading for any course on the Amazon and its people...It gives remarkable understanding of people and environment in the Amazon. Few people can write as clearly and brilliantly as Wagley. It is like reading a novel, but rich in data and understanding...I have always sent everyone to this book first when they show interest in the Amazon." Emilio Moran, Michigan State University
ISBN: 9780199335251
Dimensions: 140mm x 208mm x 20mm
Weight: 386g
344 pages
2nd Revised edition