Anthropological Theory 1st edition

Marc Notes: Originally published: Theory in anthropology. Chicago: Aldine Pub. Co., [1968]; Includes bibliographical references (p. 559-578). Publisher Marketing: Anthropological theory has been much discussed in recent years, yet the crucial questions still remain--how can it be defined, how is it developed, how is it to be applied, and how can one confirm it? The editors of Anthropological Theory answer these questions by presenting essays relating to various aspects of anthropological theory. Their selections from widely scattered and often difficult-to-obtain sources present a comprehensive set of writings that describe the current position and issues involved in theory. The development of field work in anthropology generated a tremendous emphasis on empirical data and research. The plethora of information awaiting collection and the enthusiasm with which the field embraced it so immersed anthropologists that they were unable to relate this new information to the field as a whole. Manners and Kaplan believe that this lack of generalization had a profoundly negative effect upon the discipline. Therefore, they look closely into the relationship between field work and theory in an opening essay and go on to present material that demonstrates the value and the necessity of theory in anthropology. Essays by anthropologists and other social scientists deal with "explanation," evolution, ecology, ideology, structuralism, and a number of other issues reflecting throughout the editors' conviction that anthropology is a science, the goal of which is to produce generalizations about sociocultural phenomena. The book provides necessary perspective for examining and evaluating the crucial intellectual concerns of modern anthropology and will therefore be important for the work of every anthropologist. Review Citations:

Reference and Research Bk News 05/01/2008 pg. 104 (EAN 9780202361338, Paperback)

Contributor Bio:  Manners, Robert Robert Manners is an alumnus of San Francisco State University and lives in Oakland, CA with a lot of books, hundreds of elephant figurines, and far too many sweaters. Contributor Bio:  Kaplan, David David Kaplan received his Ph. D. in Education from UCLA in 1987. He is now a Professor of Education and (by courtesy) Psychology at the University of Delaware. His research interests are in the development and application of statistical models to problems in educational evaluation and policy analysis. His current program of research concerns the development of dynamic latent continuous and categorical variable models for studying the diffusion of educational innovations.  HisWeb site is atwww.udel.edu/dkaplan.