Presenting sixty theoretical ideas, David Zeitlyn asks ‘How to write about anthropological theory without making a specific theoretical argument.’ “David Zeitlyn has written a wryly engaging, short book on, essentially, why we should not become theoretical partisans—that, indeed, being a serious theorist means accepting precisely that principle.”—Michael Herzfeld, Harvard University To answer, he offers a series of mini essays about an eclectic collection of theoretical concepts that he has found helpful over the years. The book celebrates the muddled inconsistencies in the ways that humans live their messy lives. There are, however, still patterns discernible: the actors can understand what is going on, they see an event unfolding in ways that are familiar, as belonging to a certain type and therefore, Zeitlyn suggests, so can researchers. From the introduction: This book promotes an eclectic, multi-faceted anthropology in which multiple approaches are applied in pursuit of the limited insights which each can afford.... I do not endorse any one of these idea as supplying an exclusive path to enlightenment: I absolutely do not advocate any single position. As a devout nonconformist, I hope that the following sections provide material, ammunition and succour to those undertaking nuanced anthropological analysis (and their kin in related disciplines).... Mixing up or combining different ideas and approaches can produce results that, in their breadth and richness, are productive for anthropology and other social sciences, reflecting the endless complexities of real life. ...This is my response to the death of grand theory. I see our task as learning how to deal with that bereavement and how to resist the siren lures of those promising synoptic overviews. This book is relevant to anthropology, communication studies, cultural studies and sociology.

Covering the essential concepts that drive cultural anthropology today, Ken Guest’s Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age shows students that now, more than ever, global forces affect local culture and that the tools of cultural anthropology are essential to living in a global society. A “toolkit” approach encourages students to pay attention to big questions raised by anthropologists, offers study tools to remind readers what concepts are important, and shows them why it all matters in the real world.

"The new edition of Cultural Anthropology unmasks cultural power structures and demonstrates how the research strategies and analytical perspectives of anthropology help us understand and navigate big issues such as racism, sexism, the unequal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change." -- Back cover

The most successful new textbook in a generation, Ken Guest’s text shows students that now, more than ever, global forces affect local culture. Students learn that the tools of cultural anthropology are relevant to their life in our globalized world. The NEW InQuizitive course helps students focus their reading, master the basics, and come to class prepared.

The Second Edition of Ken Guest's Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age covers the concepts that drive cultural anthropology by showing that now, more than ever, global forces affect local culture and the tools of cultural anthropology are relevant to living in a globalizing world.

"From the book's signature "toolkit" approach to the new chapter on the Environment and Sustainability to the accompanying videos and interactive learning tools, all aspects of Ken Guest's Essentials of Cultural Anthropology work together to inspire students to use the tools of anthropology to see the world in a new way and to come to class prepared to have richer, more meaningful discussions about the big issues of our time. Are there more than two genders? How do white people experience race? What defines a family? Is there such a thing as a "natural" disaster? What causes some people to be wealthy while others live in poverty?"--

This book offers a major contribution to the study and analysis of divination, based on continuing fieldwork with the Mambila in Cameroon. It seeks to return attention to the details of divinatory practice, using the questions asked and life histories to help understand the perspective of the clients rather than that of the diviners. Drawing on a corpus of more than 600 cases, David Zeitlyn reconsiders theories of divination and compares Mambila spider divination with similar systems in the area. A detailed case study is examined and analysed using conversational analytic principles. The regional comparison considers different kinds of explanation for different features of social organization, leading to a discussion of the continuing utility of moderated functionalism. The book will be of interest to area specialists and scholars concerned with religion, rationality, and decision-making from disciplines including anthropology, African studies, and philosophy.

The most successful textbook with tools to inspire students to think like anthropologists in a multicultural and global age.