How to Think Like an Anthropologist - by Matthew Engelke

Book Synopsis

From an award-winning anthropologist, a lively, accessible, and irreverent introduction to the field

What is anthropology? What can it tell us about the world? Why, in short, does it matter? For well over a century, cultural anthropologists have circled the globe, from Papua New Guinea to California, uncovering surprising insights about how humans organize their lives and articulate their values. In the process, anthropology has done more than any other discipline to reveal what culture means and why it matters. By weaving together examples and theories from around the world, Matthew Engelke provides a lively, accessible, and at times irreverent introduction to anthropology, covering a wide range of classic and contemporary approaches, subjects, and anthropologists. Presenting memorable cases, he encourages readers to think deeply about key concepts that anthropologists use to make sense of the world. Along the way, he shows how anthropology helps us understand other cultures and points of view--but also how, in doing so, it reveals something about ourselves and our own cultures, too.

From the Back Cover

Praise for the UK edition: "How to Think Like an Anthropologist is a terrific introduction to the field. Beautifully written, winningly told, and provocative, the book captures the basic feature of the discipline: that anthropology is a way of seeing and thinking. Anthropology invites you to see yourself as someone else might see you. In this way, it is the most world-changing of fields."--T. H. Luhrmann, author of When God Talks Back

Praise for the UK edition: "Playful and perceptive, Matthew Engelke welcomes readers into the fascinating history and profound insights of anthropology. This elegant synthesis shows how the discipline can change the way we think about the world."--Caitlin Zaloom, author of Out of the Pits: Traders and Technology from Chicago to London

Praise for the UK edition: "Accessible yet genuinely insightful, this is a lively, original, and inclusive introduction to anthropology both as a scholarly discipline and as a way of life. It combines superb storytelling and broad coverage--ranging from the classics to the author's own fieldwork experiences--and shows why anthropology really ought to be seen as the core of the social sciences: a discipline that trains one's brain to look deeply and empathetically into the lives of others."--Charles King, Georgetown University

Review Quotes

"A very quick take on what anthropology is . . . How to Think Like an Anthropologist . . . summarizes some of the key ideas in anthropology. There's a wonderful section about different power structures and the concept of honor and shame and how that can play out in different cultures. It's very relevant to today."---Gillian Tett, The Ezra Klein Show

About the Author

Matthew Engelke is an anthropologist at Columbia University, where he directs the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life.