H. Birx – 21st Century Anthropology (2010)

Автор: H. Birx
Название книги: 21st Century Anthropology (2010)
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Антропология
Страницы: 1125
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

Via 100 entries or 'mini-chapters,' the SAGE 21st Century Reference Series volumes on Anthropology will highlight the most important topics, issues, questions, and debates any student obtaining a degree in the field of anthropology ought to have mastered for effectiveness in the 21st century. The purpose is to provide undergraduate students with an authoritative reference source that will serve their research needs with more detailed information than encyclopedia entries but not so much jargon, detail or density as a journal article or a research handbook chapter.

Since its emergence as a discipline in the middle of
the 19th century, anthropology has focused on the
study of humankind in terms of science and reason,
as well as logical speculation. Within a comprehensive and
interdisciplinary framework, anthropology aims for a better
understanding of and proper appreciation for the place of
our species within earth history and organic development.
As such, the scientific theory of biological evolution has
been indispensable for giving meaning and purpose to the
awesome range of empirical facts and conceptual insights
that now constitute the rich content of present-day anthropology.
Furthermore, cross-cultural studies emphasize the
vast differences among human groups from the perspectives
of material culture, social behavior, languages, and
worldviews.
Because of its holistic orientation, the anthropological
quest includes four major but interrelated divisions of concentration:
biological anthropology, archaeology, sociocultural
anthropology, and linguistics. These four divisions
represent many specific areas of academic interest and scholarly
research, each area with its own unique topics and methods
of inquiry. Early anthropologists sought not only to
document human evolution, but also to record the cultural
differences of other societies. They also speculated on the
origin and history of human societies, cultures, and languages.
Furthermore, early anthropologists benefited from
and contributed to other special sciences, from geology and
paleontology to sociology and psychology. To their advantage,
anthropologists have remained open to the scientific
discoveries in modern biology, for example, the DNA molecule,
and the critical ideas in recent philosophy (e.g., the
Marxist approach to solving social problems).
Following the pivotal writings on evolution by Charles
Darwin (1809–1882), the early anthropologists took time
and change seriously. They speculated on the origin and
history of our species and its relationship to the other primates,
especially the great apes. Sir Edward Burnett Tylor
wrote Primitive Culture (1871), extending the framework
of organic evolution to include the historical development
of human societies and their cultures. In the early 1890s,
Eugene Dubois discovered a Homo erectus specimen at the
Trinil site on the island of Java. Among others, these two
events contributed to the emergence of anthropology as an
academic discipline in its own right.
Throughout the 20th century, scientific research
remained a major concern for anthropologists. The discovery
of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham in 1911 and the
tomb of Tutankhamen by Howard Carter in 1922 brought
worldwide attention to archaeology. Later, at Columbia
University, the writings of Ruth Benedict, Franz Boas, and
Margaret Mead offered a cross-cultural perspective on
human biology, language, thought, and behavior.
In 1959, in central East Africa, the discovery of a
Zinjanthropus boisei skull at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania by
paleoarchaeologist Mary D. Leakey and the study of wild
mountain gorillas in their natural habitats on the slopes of
the Virunga volcanoes by zoologist George B. Schaller
helped to usher in modern biological anthropology. And
then there was the crucial extension of genetic research to
the study of our own species in order to understand and
appreciate the human animal within the wider framework
of primate evolution.
Today, after about 150 years, the discipline of anthropology
is as active and relevant as ever. Incorporating the ongoing
advances in science and technology, specialists in
anthropology find no lack of engaging topics for scholarly
research. There is the challenge and need to study and protect
endangered nonhuman primates, to continuously search
for fossil hominid specimens and hominid-made stone artifacts,
and to comprehend the many complex relationships
between our biocultural species and its dynamic environment.
Moreover, anthropologists have been very instrumental
in increasing human tolerance for the biological variations
and cultural differences that exist within the hundreds of
societies that comprise our global species. As a new research
area, applied anthropology strives to be relevant in this civilized
but converging world (e.g., the emergence of forensic
anthropology and biomedical anthropology).
The 102 chapters in this two-volume 21st Century
Anthropology: A Reference Handbook attest to the many
research topics being investigated by current anthropologists
and related scholars in science and philosophy. Each of the 15 general categories offers not only the most recent
empirical facts and explanatory concepts in the topics
treated, but also those new areas that require further scientific
research and philosophical reflection. And there are
always new models, methods, theories, discoveries, and
perspectives that will emerge in the ongoing development
of anthropology throughout the coming decades.
Within these pages, one will explore many varied but
fascinating topics (e.g., from the concept of culture, ancient
civilizations, and human ecology to paleopathology, twin
studies, and terrorism). It is hoped that the 102 intriguing
subjects, which make up this reference handbook, will
both enlighten and inspire some readers to join the ongoing
anthropological quest.
Acknowledgments
At Sage Reference, I especially appreciate that its vice
president and publisher, Rolf A. Janke, had recommended
that I edit the two-volume 21st Century Anthropology: A
Reference Handbook. Furthermore, I am deeply grateful to
developmental editors Sara Tauber and Sanford Robinson
for providing excellent guidance during the long and arduous
evolution of this extensive and unique project.
I also benefitted from the meticulous attention given to
all the details of this comprehensive work through the expertise
of production editor Carla Freeman and the copy editors
Gretchen Treadwell, Patricia Sutton, and Cate Huisman.
In particular, I am very appreciative of Ravi Balasuriya
for his outstanding artistic contribution in designing the
striking cover for this two-volume set.
Moreover, I am deeply indebted to managing editor
Sylvia S. Bigler at Canisius College, whose attentive
focus on helping me to review these 102 chapters was an
invaluable aid in the preparation of this reference handbook
for publication. Without her professional administrative
assistance and persistent moral support, the
conception and completion of this project would not have
been possible.
Furthermore, these editorial board members have been
most helpful during the preparation of this two-volume
set: Robert Bollt, Paul F. Brown, Patricia N. Chrosniak,
Irina Jovan Deretic, Jeffrey H. Schwartz, and Stefan
Lorenz Sorgner.
The range and depth of these challenging but exciting
topics clearly attest to the ongoing significance of and
interest in the research so necessary for the comprehensive
discipline of modern anthropology. It is with heartfelt
thanks that I acknowledge the contributing authors for
their scholarly chapters. The following writers were especially
helpful in providing several entries or an essential
contribution for this academic work: Ignacio Arenillas,
José Antonio Arz, Les Beldo, Robert Bollt, James Pleger
Bonanno, Cris Campbell, Irina Jovan Deretic, Isabelle M.
Flemming, Michael Joseph Francisconi, Robert Bates
Graber, Britteny M. Howell, Joachim Klose, Ramdas
Lamb, Kathleen Nadeau, Neil P. O’Donnell, Jeffrey H.
Schwartz, Hans Otto Seitschek, Stefan Lorenz Sorgner,
Ryan J.Trubits, Robert M.Worley, andVidisha BaruaWorley.
Over the years, these individuals have offered encouragement
and provided inspiration: Stefan Artmann, Pat
Bobrowski, Brandin Robert Clark, Joshua Gerald Clark,
Benjamin J. Cooper, Brian C. Crotzer, Christopher C. Dahl,
Marvin Farber, Maximilian Flierler, Deanna L. Garwol,
Edward G. Garwol III, Edward G. Garwol IV, Shirley
A. Garwol, Debra G. Hill, Pamela Rae Huteson, Susanne
Des Jardins, Albertha F. Kelley, Leonid A. Khinkis, Margaret
M. Kraatz, Oliver W. Lembcke, David Alexander Lukaszek,
Lawrence J. Minet, Dianne Marie Murphy, Rajko R. Pavlicic,
Rev. Edmund G. Ryan, Maximilian Luitpold Schreck, Richard
Albert Stein, Mark James Thompson, and Beatrix Vogel.
During the past 7 years, opera and film have sustained
me during the daunting task of editing and contributing to
10 volumes for Sage Publications. I remain thankful for the
music of RichardWagner and Giacomo Puccini, as well as
the performances of Pernell Roberts and Mario Lanza