The Essence of Anthropology

Haviland et al. bring anthropology alive in their long-awaited brief text. Lauded for their engaging writing style and vivid examples, they present anthropology with a holistic, four-field perspective using three unifying themes to provide a framework for the text: the varied ways human groups face the many challenges of existence, the connections between human culture and human biology, and the disparate impact of globalization on peoples and cultures around the world. Between the superlative writing-which instructors raved about in their reviews-and the strong pedagogical program, the text is designed to help students grasp the concepts and their relevance to today's complex world. Such pedagogy as the "Challenge Issue" at the beginning of each chapter and the "Questions for Reflection" at the end of each chapter--which are linked to the Challenge Issue--provide a framework that ensures that the chapters consistently focus on and reflect the text's themes. Boxed features such as "Biocultural Connections," "Original Studies," and "Anthropology Applied" hone in on particularly interesting examples that give students deeper insight into the meaning and relevance of a wide range of topics covered in the general narrative.