A fresh take on why anthropology matters from a leading expert.
Matthew Engelke is Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics. A prize-winning author and teacher, he is also past Editor of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute and has written for the Guardian, The Times, and Public Books.
Engelke's subtle and self-reflexive study presents an excellent
overview of the debates and issues that have shaped this hugely
influential social science. . . Using an eclectic range of
examples, including "bridewealth" in modern China and the role of
social values in Downton Abbey, he shows how anthropology reveals
both the limits of common sense and the universal lessons that can
be drawn from communities everywhere
*Guardian*
Think Like an Anthropologist sets forth the anthropological
sensibility as a mode of thinking that might encourage us to better
appreciate the complexity and diversity of the modern world
*TLS*
Informing -- and perhaps occasionally startling readers who aren't
themselves anthropologists -- is a profoundly important goal.
Engelke achieves his goal with crystal-clear writing, and
occasional humor, too
*NPR*
Brilliant, lively, short(ish) introduction into the key issues that
shape anthropology. The ideal introduction for a general reader, a
student - or the parent of a teenager who does not understand why
their kid wants to study anthropology instead of accounting. (Don't
worry; they can still find a job.)
*Guardian*
An affable introduction to the discipline
*New York Times Book Review*
Clearly the work of an author having tremendous fun with material
he knows inside out . . . Thinking like an anthropologist is
something that we should all do more often
*Times Higher Education*
We may not do research in faraway places or even nearby, among our
curious neighbors, but we all need to be anthropologists. Thinking
like an anthropologist means stopping to consider our common-sense
categories in critical, comparative, and historically informed
ways. Matthew Engelke's admirably lucid book gives us the tools we
need
*James Clifford, author of Returns: Becoming Indigenous in the
Twenty-First Century*
A terrific introduction to the field. Beautifully written,
winningly told, and provocative, the book captures the basic
feature of the discipline: that anthropology is a way of seeing and
thinking. Anthropology invites you to see yourself as someone else
might see you. In this way, it is the most world-changing of
fields
*T. M. Luhrmann, author of When God Talks Back*
Playful and perceptive, Matthew Engelke welcomes readers into the
fascinating history and profound insights of anthropology. This
elegant synthesis shows how the discipline can change the way we
think about the world
*Caitlin Zaloom, author of Out of the Pits*
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