We are delighted to bring to you this open-access textbook, a collection of chapters on the essential topics in cultural anthropology. Different from other introductory textbooks, this book is an edited volume with each chapter written by a different author. Each author has written from their experiences working as an anthropologist and that personal touch makes for an accessible introduction to cultural anthropology. The first edition of Perspectives was published in 2017 and is available in the archive.

This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Teaching & Learning Resources

These resources can be used to enhance teaching and learning with the Perspectives textbook. We hope to enhance this collection over time with contributions from instructors. Please contact us using the contact form below if you would like to contribute.

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Chapters

The links below can be used to download individual chapters as Adobe Acrobat PDF files. Copies of the entire book are also available to read online, download, and purchase in print format.

Preface

Nina Brown, Community College of Baltimore County
Laura Tubelle de González, San Diego Miramar College
Thomas McIlwraith, University of Guelph

Introduction to Anthropology

Katie Nelson, Inver Hills Community College
Lara Braff, Grossmont College

The Culture Concept

Priscilla Medeiros, Women's College Hospital
Emily Cowall, McMaster University

Doing Fieldwork: Methods in Cultural Anthropology

Katie Nelson, Inver Hills Community College

Language

Linda Light, California State University, Long Beach

Subsistence

Isaac Shearn, Community College of Baltimore County

Economics

Sarah Lyon, University of Kentucky

Political Anthropology: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Paul McDowell, Santa Barbara City College

Family and Marriage

Mary Kay Gilliland, Central Arizona College

Race and Ethnicity

Justin Garcia, Millersville University

Gender and Sexuality

Carol C. Mukhopadhyay, San Jose State University
Tami Blumenfield, Yunnan University

Susan Harper, Texas Woman's University
Abby Gondek, Florida International University

Religion

Sashur Henninger-Rener, Pasadena City College

Globalization

Lauren Miller Griffith, Texas Tech University
Jonathan S. Marion, University of Arkansas

The History of Anthropological Ideas

Laura Nader, University of California, Berkeley

Culture and Sustainability: Enviromental Anthropology in the Anthropocene

Christian Palmer, Windward Community College

Performance

Lauren Miller Griffith, Texas Tech University
Jonathan S. Marion, University of Arkansas

Media Anthropology: Meaning, Embodiment, Infrastructure, and Activism

Bryce Peake, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Health and Medicine

Sashur Henninger-Rener, Pasadena City College

Seeing Like an Anthropologist: Anthropology in Practice

Logan Cochrane, Carleton University

Public Anthropology

Robert Borofsky, Hawaii Pacific University

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