Anthropology: A Student's Guide to Theory and Method

316 Pages·2009·1.256 MB·English

by  Stanley Barrett

ANTHROPOLOGY:
A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO THEORY AND METHOD
Second Edition
Stanley R. Barrett’s Anthropology has long been a premier sourcebook
for students, providing a comprehensive overview of both theory and
method in the discipline. In this second edition, Barrett expands his
discussion of the origins and evolution of anthropology to address
recent changes and ongoing debates in the field. This edition provides
new material on questions of culture versus power, Max Weber’s
thought, the potential of applied anthropology, and the rise of public
anthropology, while touching on the anthropology of globalization. As
in the previous edition, Barrett explores the impact of postmodernism
on the theory and practice of anthropology, and includes a variety of
case studies to demonstrate real-world applications of the theories
discussed. Highly regarded for its unique approach and accessibility,
Anthropology remains an essential introductory text for students,
teachers, and researchers in the field.
stanley r. barrett is a professor emeritus in the Department of
Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph.
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STANLEY R. BARRETT
ANTHROPOLOGY
A Student’s Guide to Theory and
Method
Second Edition
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
© University of Toronto Press Incorporated 2009
Toronto Buffalo London
www.utppublishing.com
Printed in Canada
isbn 978-0-8020-9916-7 (cloth)
isbn 978-0-8020-9612-8 (paper)

Printed on acid-free paper
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Barrett, Stanley R., 1938–
Anthropology : a student’s guide to theory and method /
Stanley R. Barrett. 2nd ed.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-8020-9916-7 (bound). isbn 978-0-8020-9612-8 (pbk.)
1. Anthropology – Philosophy. 2. Anthropology – Methodology.
I. Title
gn33.b37 2009 301.01 c2009-903612-6
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support for its pub-
lishing activities of the Government of Canada through the Book Publish-
ing Industry Development Program (BPIDP).
TO PROFESSOR F.G. BAILEY
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Contents
preface to the first edition xi
preface to the second edition xiii
1 Unleashing the Anthropologist: A Historical Overview 3
General Anthropology 5
Social Anthropology 8
Basic Concepts 10
Criteria for Ethnographic Quality 25
Colonialism: The Critical Dimension 26
Crisis or Opportunity? 32
Science or Art? 33
Relationship between Anthropology and Other Disciplines 34
How to Learn the Fundamentals of a Discipline 39
Key Terms 41
Organization of the Book 44
PART ONE: BUILDING THE DISCIPLINE
2 Theory 49
Evolutionism 49
Historical Particularism 54
Structural Functionalism 61
Conclusion 68
3 Method 71
viii Contents
The Methods Literature 72
The Fieldwork Situation 75
Basic Assumptions 76
Basic Techniques and Related Elements 77
Human Relations Area Files 80
The Redfield-Lewis Controversy 80
Conclusion 81
PART TWO: PATCHING THE FOUNDATION
4 Theory 85
Cultural Ecology (and Neo-Evolutionism) 85
Conflict Theory 94
Social Action 101
Conclusion 109
5 Method 111
The Methods Literature 111
The Fieldwork Situation 116
Some New Rules of Thumb 117
Formal Analysis 121
Case Study One: A West African Utopia 122
Case Study Two: The Radical Right in Canada 132
Conclusion 141
PART THREE: DEMOLITION AND RECONSTRUCTION
6 Theory 145
Structuralism 146
Postmodernism 154
Feminist Anthropology 167
Cultural Feminism versus Deconstructionism 176
Feminism and Marxism 178
Feminism and Postmodernism 178
Conclusion 181
7 Method 183
The Methods Literature 184
Contents ix
The Fieldwork Situation 187
Case Study Three: Social Change in Rural Ontario 189
Case Study Four: Gender and Violence in Corsica 197
Backlash against Feminist Methodology 206
Are Women Better Fieldworkers than Men? 208
Anthropology at Home 211
Applied Anthropology 214
Public Anthropology 221
Conclusion 231
PART FOUR: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
8 The Last Frontier: How to Analyse Qualitative Data 235
The Literature on Qualitative Analysis 237
A Modest Alternative 243
The Model 244
The Burst of Insight 248
Writing 256
Conclusion 261
9 Taming the Anthropologist: The World Ahead 264
bibliography 269
index 295