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Library | Material Type | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
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Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library | Reference Book | GN307.E52 1996 V. 1 | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library | Reference Book | GN307.E52 1996 V. 2 | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library | Reference Book | GN307.E52 1996 V. 3 | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Sugar Grove - Todd Library | Reference Book | GN307.E52 1996 V. 4 | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
Prepared under the auspices of Yale University's Human Relations Area Files, this huge reference work contains 340 articles on every aspect of human culture and society. Although designed for use by cultural anthropologists, many of the topics extend far into archaeology, linguistics and biological anthropology. 310 expert authors write on topics ranging from optimal foraging theory to the Mead-Freeman controversy, from frameworks like cultural materialism to methods of data collection. Each article is followed by a bibliography valid up to the mid 1990s and the entries are extensively cross-referenced.
Summary
Broadly speaking anthropology - the study of the bonds of human social relations - is divided into two different but related fields: physical anthropology and cultural anthropology. Physical anthropology focuses basically on the problems of human evolution, including human palaeontology and the study of race. Cultural anthropology includes the study of archaeology, ethnography; ethnology; social anthropology; and linguistics. Until now, the field of cultural anthropology has not been represented in its entirety by an academically accepted broad-based reference work. Because expansion and changes in the field over the last 25 years have been great, and because the study of cultural anthropology on the high school, college and graduate school levels has never been more popular, the time is ripe for a synthesis of the field on a grand scale, in the form of an authoritative, 4-volume encyclopedia.
Reviews (2)
Choice Review
Among the notable one-volume encyclopedias of anthropology are Dictionary of Anthropology, ed. by Charlotte Seymour-Smith (CH, Jul'87), John Joseph Honigmann's Handbook of Social and Cultural Anthropology (1973), Encyclopedia of Anthropology, ed. by David E. Hunter and Phillip Whitten (CH, Sep'76), and Companion Encyclopedia of Anthropology (1994). There are also reference works that concentrate on peoples of the world. This much larger work is sponsored by Human Relations Area Files, one of the major research centers in cultural anthropology, which has emphasized collecting data to facilitate cultural comparisons. Its editors are associated with HRAF but have not been limited by their organization's orientation. They emphasize major topics in the discipline, from historic concerns (e.g., field work) to recent theoretical issues (feminist anthropology). The 300 contributors range from major figures such as George Marcus through recent graduates. The articles themselves are good summaries of contemporary views in the field and include bibliographies that would have been enhanced had they been annotated, since many of the encyclopedia's users will be novices who could profit from guidance in reading. An appendix that lists anthropological journals is useful in a discipline whose bibliographic control is difficult. The index (not available for this review) will, it is hoped, refer to the various peoples discussed in the articles, since there are no articles on individual groups. There are, however, many articles on cultural regions. Regrettably, there are no illustrations, but including them would probably have greatly increased the cost of the set. These comments are meant to be suggestive; the encyclopedia fills an enormous gap in anthropological reference and belongs in every college and university library, even those where anthropology is not taught. D. S. Azzolina University of Pennsylvania
Library Journal Review
Anthropology reference has at last reached maturity; with the publication of this four-volume encyclopedia, a full complement of resources now exists. In the past decade, several major works have filled significant gaps in the literature: Encyclopedia of Human Evolution and Prehistory (Garland, 1988), Encyclopedia of World Cultures (LJ 3/15/91), and International Dictionary of Anthropologists (LJ 1/92). Sponsored by Yale University's Human Relations Area Files, the Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology is the icing on the cake. It has been developed to emphasize the cross-cultural perspective, holistic approach, and practice of fieldwork that demark cultural anthropology. Written by experts and accompanied by a bibliography and cross references, the 340 lengthy entries mainly comprise subjects, theoretical constructs, geographical/cultural areas, cultural groups, and important organizations related to anthropology. Including treatments of various aspects of archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistics has increased the work's value. Biographies do not earn individual entries, but major figures are covered where appropriate within the articles. One drawback is the appendix listing periodicals, which adds nothing of substance; one could even quibble that the titles are all serials but not necessarily periodicals. The editors state that the audience should range from high school students to scholars, and while an aim this broad is rather hard to achieve, anyone seeking in-depth information on cultural anthropology will find this encyclopedia to be an appropriate resource. Essential for libraries that want to remain current in their social science collections.-Joyce L. Ogburn, Old Dominion Univ. Lib, Norfolk, Va. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.