Introduction to Anthropology

by Jennifer Hasty, David G. Lewis and Marjorie M. Snipes

Published by OpenStax

Social StudiesCollege

Designed to meet the scope and sequence of your course, OpenStax Introduction to Anthropology is a four-field text integrating diverse voices, engaging field activities, and meaningful themes like Indigenous experiences and social inequality to engage students and enrich learning. The text showcases the historical context of the discipline, with a strong focus on anthropology as a living and evolving field. There is significant discussion of recent efforts to make the field more diverse—in its practitioners, in the questions it asks, and in the applications of anthropological research to address contemporary challenges. In addressing social inequality, the text drives readers to consider the rise and impact of social inequalities based on forms of identity and difference (such as gender, ethnicity, race, and class) as well as oppression and discrimination. The contributors to and dangers of socioeconomic inequality are fully addressed, and the role of inequality in social dysfunction, disruption, and change is noted. If you have encountered a white screen while accessing your OpenStax textbook, our developers suggest closing all of your OpenStax.org tabs and then loading the book again.

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Attribution

Adapted from Introduction to Anthropology by Jennifer Hasty, David G. Lewis, and Marjorie M. Snipes, published by OpenStax (Rice University) under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). Access the original for free at https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-anthropology. Changes: converted to CuraCourse lessons, with interactive practice added.

141 pages in 21 modules. Sign up to read and adopt them.

Preface1 page
1. Preface
1What Is Anthropology?9 pages
1. Introduction
2. 1.1The Study of Humanity, or "Anthropology Is Vast"
3. 1.2The Four-Field Approach: Four Approaches within the Guiding Narrative
4. 1.3Overcoming Ethnocentrism
5. 1.4Western Bias in Our Assumptions about Humanity
6. 1.5Holism, Anthropology’s Distinctive Approach
7. 1.6Cross-Cultural Comparison and Cultural Relativism
8. 1.7Reaching for an Insider’s Point of View
9. Practice
2Methods: Cultural and Archaeological8 pages
1. Introduction
2. 2.1Archaeological Research Methods
3. 2.2Conservation and Naturalism
4. 2.3Ethnography and Ethnology
5. 2.4Participant Observation and Interviewing
6. 2.5Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
7. 2.6Collections
8. Practice
3Culture Concept Theory: Theories of Cultural Change8 pages
1. Introduction
2. 3.1The Homeyness of Culture
3. 3.2The Winkiness of Culture
4. 3.3The Elements of Culture
5. 3.4The Aggregates of Culture
6. 3.5Modes of Cultural Analysis
7. 3.6The Paradoxes of Culture
8. Practice
4Biological Evolution and Early Human Evidence9 pages
1. Introduction
2. 4.1What Is Biological Anthropology?
3. 4.2What’s in a Name? The Science of Taxonomy
4. 4.3It’s All in the Genes! The Foundation of Evolution
5. 4.4Evolution in Action: Past and Present
6. 4.5What Is a Primate?
7. 4.6Origin of and Classification of Primates
8. 4.7Our Ancient Past: The Earliest Hominins
9. Practice
5The Genus Homo and the Emergence of Us6 pages
1. Introduction
2. 5.1Defining the Genus Homo
3. 5.2Tools and Brains: Homo habilis, Homo ergaster, and Homo erectus
4. 5.3The Emergence of Us: The Archaic Homo
5. 5.4Tracking Genomes: Our Human Story Unfolds
6. Practice
6Language and Communication7 pages
1. Introduction
2. 6.1The Emergence and Development of Language
3. 6.2Language and the Mind
4. 6.3Language, Community, and Culture
5. 6.4Performativity and Ritual
6. 6.5Language and Power
7. Practice
7Work, Life, and Value: Economic Anthropology9 pages
1. Introduction
2. 7.1Economies: Two Ways to Study Them
3. 7.2Modes of Subsistence
4. 7.3Gathering and Hunting
5. 7.4Pastoralism
6. 7.5Plant Cultivation: Horticulture and Agriculture
7. 7.6Exchange, Value, and Consumption
8. 7.7Industrialism and Postmodernity
9. Practice
8Authority, Decisions, and Power: Political Anthropology7 pages
1. Introduction
2. 8.1Colonialism and the Categorization of Political Systems
3. 8.2Acephalous Societies: Bands and Tribes
4. 8.3Centralized Societies: Chiefdoms and States
5. 8.4Modern Nation-States
6. 8.5Resistance, Revolution, and Social Movements
7. Practice
9Social Inequalities6 pages
1. Introduction
2. 9.1Theories of Inequity and Inequality
3. 9.2Systems of Inequality
4. 9.3Intersections of Inequality
5. 9.4Studying In: Addressing Inequities within Anthropology
6. Practice
10The Global Impact of Human Migration6 pages
1. Introduction
2. 10.1Peopling of the World
3. 10.2Early Global Movements and Cultural Hybridity
4. 10.3Peasantry and Urbanization
5. 10.4Inequality along the Margins
6. Practice
11Forming Family through Kinship6 pages
1. Introduction
2. 11.1What Is Kinship?
3. 11.2Defining Family and Household
4. 11.3Reckoning Kinship across Cultures
5. 11.4Marriage and Families across Cultures
6. Practice
12Gender and Sexuality6 pages
1. Introduction
2. 12.1Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Anthropology
3. 12.2Performing Gender Categories
4. 12.3The Power of Gender: Patriarchy and Matriarchy
5. 12.4Sexuality and Queer Anthropology
6. Practice
13Religion and Culture7 pages
1. Introduction
2. 13.1What Is Religion?
3. 13.2Symbolic and Sacred Space
4. 13.3Myth and Religious Doctrine
5. 13.4Rituals of Transition and Conformity
6. 13.5Other Forms of Religious Practice
7. Practice
14Anthropology of Food6 pages
1. Introduction
2. 14.1Food as a Material Artifact
3. 14.2A Biocultural Approach to Food
4. 14.3Food and Cultural Identity
5. 14.4The Globalization of Food
6. Practice
15Anthropology of Media10 pages
1. Introduction
2. 15.1Putting the Mass into Media
3. 15.2Putting Culture into Media Studies
4. 15.3Visual Anthropology and Ethnographic Film
5. 15.4Photography, Representation, and Memory
6. 15.5News Media, the Public Sphere, and Nationalism
7. 15.6Community, Development, and Broadcast Media
8. 15.7Broadcasting Modernity and National Identity
9. 15.8Digital Media, New Socialities
10. Practice
16Art, Music, and Sport6 pages
1. Introduction
2. 16.1Anthropology of the Arts
3. 16.2Anthropology of Music
4. 16.3An Anthropological View of Sport throughout Time
5. 16.4Anthropology, Representation, and Performance
6. Practice
17Medical Anthropology6 pages
1. Introduction
2. 17.1What Is Medical Anthropology?
3. 17.2Ethnomedicine
4. 17.3Theories and Methods
5. 17.4Applied Medical Anthropology
6. Practice
18Human-Animal Relationship7 pages
1. Introduction
2. 18.1Humans and Animals
3. 18.2Animals and Subsistence
4. 18.3Symbolism and Meaning of Animals
5. 18.4Pet-Keeping
6. 18.5Animal Industries and the Animal Trade
7. Practice
19Indigenous Anthropology6 pages
1. Introduction
2. 19.1Indigenous Peoples
3. 19.2Colonization and Anthropology
4. 19.3Indigenous Agency and Rights
5. 19.4Applied and Public Anthropology and Indigenous Peoples
6. Practice
20Anthropology on the Ground5 pages
1. Introduction
2. 20.1Our Challenging World Today
3. 20.2Why Anthropology Matters
4. 20.3What Anthropologists Can Do
5. Practice

Introduction to Anthropology

Table of contents