What’s the best book you have read on anthropology?
It could be from any of these subjects topics –
1) human evolution
2) socio cultural anthropology
3) anrhropological thought
4) physical anthropology
5) applied anthropology
May not seem to fit at first, so I included my review to better flesh it out.
**The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present by Ronald Hutton**
[spoiler]An eye-opening ethnographic overview on the early-modern, “satanic-witch” archetype as epitomized in the European witch trials of 15th to 18th century.
The historical study of beliefs ascribed to witches and witchcraft, particularly those of alleged witches in early modern Europe, is bedeviled with scholarly feud. Modern insights draw heavily upon criminology, psychology, literary and scientific philosophy. Whereas, the early twentieth century employment of general models of archaic and worldwide belief systems drawn from anthropology, folklore and ancient history have been notably ignored.
Ronald Hutton illustrates the strength of such ethnographic study through his analysis of local variations of supernatural belief in the global, ancient and shamanic context of witches and witchcraft. The consequent regional belief systems are then tested to see how they support, quantify or negate “universal models” of the witch figure.
Further bedeviling scholarly review, the contemporary western world has at least four definitions of a witch. Hutton therefore establishes a “universal model” (or coherent-global model) based on five cross-cultural characteristics that are fundamental for understanding the European concept of the satanic-witch figure.
The Five Cross-Cultural Characteristics of the European (Satanic) Witch Figure:
– 1: A Witch Causes Harm by Uncanny Means
– 2: A Witch is an Internal Threat to a Community
– 3: The Witch Works within a Tradition
– 4: The Witch is Evil
– 5: The Witch Can Be Resisted
(Noteworthy, these characteristics are derived from the systematic application of “studies of beliefs concerning witches” from 1890 to 2013 with a globally-inclusive 300+ non-European societies; thoroughly explored in the book’s first section).
The remaining book is structured in a self-described “general technique of narrowing circles of perspective” in which regional differences of supernatural belief, as they relate to the above criteria, are analyzed across ancient western civilization (Egypt, Greece Mesopotamia, Rome, etc.,) through the “dark ages,” culminating in the European Witch Trials of the 15th to 18th century). [/spoiler]
Lasko_boy on
Sapiens – Noah Harari
FairyPenguinz on
Daniel Miller’s book *Consumption and its consequences*
It is really a collection of his ethnographies introduced with a discussion between different parts of himself (young, political marxist-leaning Daniel; older middle class Daniel; and Daniel whose focus is the environment -I might be misremembering this).
Anyway, this discussion is great as this discussion provides a framework for the collected ethnographies that look at how people make decisions about consumption and also look at how individuals in companies work and whether this really conforms to the logic of markets etc.
It really is a wonderful book and provides lots of areas for reflection, bringing into our consciousness things we take for granted.
raoulmduke on
Paul Rabinow recommended I read John Berger’s A Fortunate Man. And now I recommend it here.
Gnoll_For_Initiative on
The Art of Language Invention
In the Land of Invented Languages
It’s not all just Klingon and Quenya. These books cover things like pidgins, creoles, sign languages, and coding languages.
Expletive Deleted: A good look at bad language
Bad Language: Are some words better than others
Some good fucking books about why obscenities, slurs, and goddamned curse words are found in every language and some shit about how they evolve and change with cultures and contexts
waltertheflamingo on
Consuming Grief! Hands down the most memorable book I’ve ever read.
TinfoilBike on
Renovation of the Heart by USC Philosophy Prof – Dallas Willard
MegC18 on
Prof. Alice Roberts – much respected osteo-archaeologist. Her work covers many areas of physical/biological anthropology. Try The Incredible Human Journey, Evolution – the human story and her trilogy of books on British archaeological discoveries
8 Comments
May not seem to fit at first, so I included my review to better flesh it out.
**The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present by Ronald Hutton**
[spoiler]An eye-opening ethnographic overview on the early-modern, “satanic-witch” archetype as epitomized in the European witch trials of 15th to 18th century.
The historical study of beliefs ascribed to witches and witchcraft, particularly those of alleged witches in early modern Europe, is bedeviled with scholarly feud. Modern insights draw heavily upon criminology, psychology, literary and scientific philosophy. Whereas, the early twentieth century employment of general models of archaic and worldwide belief systems drawn from anthropology, folklore and ancient history have been notably ignored.
Ronald Hutton illustrates the strength of such ethnographic study through his analysis of local variations of supernatural belief in the global, ancient and shamanic context of witches and witchcraft. The consequent regional belief systems are then tested to see how they support, quantify or negate “universal models” of the witch figure.
Further bedeviling scholarly review, the contemporary western world has at least four definitions of a witch. Hutton therefore establishes a “universal model” (or coherent-global model) based on five cross-cultural characteristics that are fundamental for understanding the European concept of the satanic-witch figure.
The Five Cross-Cultural Characteristics of the European (Satanic) Witch Figure:
– 1: A Witch Causes Harm by Uncanny Means
– 2: A Witch is an Internal Threat to a Community
– 3: The Witch Works within a Tradition
– 4: The Witch is Evil
– 5: The Witch Can Be Resisted
(Noteworthy, these characteristics are derived from the systematic application of “studies of beliefs concerning witches” from 1890 to 2013 with a globally-inclusive 300+ non-European societies; thoroughly explored in the book’s first section).
The remaining book is structured in a self-described “general technique of narrowing circles of perspective” in which regional differences of supernatural belief, as they relate to the above criteria, are analyzed across ancient western civilization (Egypt, Greece Mesopotamia, Rome, etc.,) through the “dark ages,” culminating in the European Witch Trials of the 15th to 18th century). [/spoiler]
Sapiens – Noah Harari
Daniel Miller’s book *Consumption and its consequences*
It is really a collection of his ethnographies introduced with a discussion between different parts of himself (young, political marxist-leaning Daniel; older middle class Daniel; and Daniel whose focus is the environment -I might be misremembering this).
Anyway, this discussion is great as this discussion provides a framework for the collected ethnographies that look at how people make decisions about consumption and also look at how individuals in companies work and whether this really conforms to the logic of markets etc.
It really is a wonderful book and provides lots of areas for reflection, bringing into our consciousness things we take for granted.
Paul Rabinow recommended I read John Berger’s A Fortunate Man. And now I recommend it here.
The Art of Language Invention
In the Land of Invented Languages
It’s not all just Klingon and Quenya. These books cover things like pidgins, creoles, sign languages, and coding languages.
Expletive Deleted: A good look at bad language
Bad Language: Are some words better than others
Some good fucking books about why obscenities, slurs, and goddamned curse words are found in every language and some shit about how they evolve and change with cultures and contexts
Consuming Grief! Hands down the most memorable book I’ve ever read.
Renovation of the Heart by USC Philosophy Prof – Dallas Willard
Prof. Alice Roberts – much respected osteo-archaeologist. Her work covers many areas of physical/biological anthropology. Try The Incredible Human Journey, Evolution – the human story and her trilogy of books on British archaeological discoveries