Overview

Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History presents a selection of critical essays in anthropology from 1860 to the present day. Classic authors such as Marx, Durkheim, Boas, Malinowski and Douglas are joined by contemporary thinkers including Das, Ortner, Boellstorff and Simpson. McGee and Warms' detailed introductions examine critical developments in theory, introduce key people, and discuss historical and personal influences on theorists. In extensive footnotes, the editors provide commentary that puts the writing in historical and cultural context, defines unusual terms, translates non-English phrases, identifies references to other scholars and their works, and offers paraphrases and summaries of complex passages. The notes identify and provide background information on concepts important in the development of anthropology. New to the Eighth Edition: ""Anthropology, Decolonization and Whiteness"" puts the anthropology of resistance in historical context, explores the history of the anthropology of decolonization and whiteness, and presents some recent controversies in anthropology ""Phenomenological Anthropology and The Anthropology of the Good"" broadens the focus of the previous anthropology of the good section to provide a more diverse overview of philosophical anthropology. Revised introductions to every section in the book offer suggested readings for important works in each area beyond what's offered in the text New readings include works by Sherry Ortner, Michel-Rolf Trouillot, Jason Throop, Audra Simpson, and Orisanmi Burton

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Reviews

"Anthropological Theory is an impressively comprehensive introduction to the history of anthropological theory from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. The texts are carefully selected to give a balanced view of the development of the discipline over a century and a half. McGee's and Warms' decision to present complete texts rather than extracts allows the reader to enter more fully into the authors' ways of thinking, while the section introductions and the footnotes carefully and sensitively contextualize and explain the readings. This text unquestionably remains the standard in the field. --Robert Launay, Northwestern University ""Anthropological Theory is the gold standard for history of theory anthologies. And now with new material to bring it up to date, this classical reader is more valuable than ever."" --Alex Golub, University of Hawaii ""A new edition of Anthropological Theory is always a welcome event for those teaching the history of the discipline. The eighth edition retains its useful selection of canonical essays with important additions on decolonization and whiteness. Its strength remains its insightful commentary with details about terminology, authors, and theoretical controversies."" --Nancy Lutkehaus, University of Southern California ""McGee and Warms continue their admirable practice of presenting original essays that illustrate and illuminate significant theoretical moments and movements in the history of anthropology. As in the past, the editors' knowledgeable introductions to each section and, above all, their extensive annotations of each essay, make this volume an unrivaled source."" --Herbert S. Lewis, University of Wisconsin-Madison ""McGee and Warms' eighth edition is a necessity for anyone teaching or learning about anthropology's invention, exploration, and manipulation of culture as an analytic concept in the study of human behavior. The selections and annotations insightfully trace the development of anthropological theory from the mid-19th century to the present day; from seeing the non-European world as populated by savages and barbarians to decolonizing that world."" --Jonathan Marks, University of North Carolina, Charlotte ""This new edition of Anthropological Theory presents a diverse set of original works tracing key developments in anthropological analysis. But what makes it truly remarkable are the detailed, insightful commentaries McGee and Warms provide alongside each text. Their brilliant intellectual exegeses take Anthropological Theory to a new level, making it invaluable for audiences across disciplines, and from undergraduates to research scholars. Rare is the book on the history of anthropology one cannot put down, but this is it."" --Tom Boellstorff, University of California, Irvine ""With the inclusion of sections on phenomenology, decolonization, and whiteness alongside illuminating introductory essays and footnotes, this latest edition of Anthropological Theory is equal parts a digestible teaching/learning tool and a humble, yet cogent, plea for the utility of theories that are attuned to the experiences and perspectives of others."" --Nick Barron, University of Nevada, Las Vegas"

Anthropological Theory is an impressively comprehensive introduction to the history of anthropological theory from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. The texts are carefully selected to give a balanced view of the development of the discipline over a century and a half. McGee's and Warm's decision to present complete texts rather than extracts allows the reader to enter more fully into the authors' ways of thinking, while the section introductions and the footnotes carefully and sensitively contextualize and explain the readings. This text unquestionably remains the standard in the field. --Robert Launay, Northwestern University

Author Information

R. Jon McGee is professor of anthropology at Texas State University. He is author or editor of numerous books, including Watching Lacandon Maya Lives, 2e, Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: An Encyclopedia (coedited with Richard L. Warms), and Sacred Realms: Readings in the Anthropology of Religion (coedited with Warms and James Garber), now in its second edition. Richard L. Warms is professor of anthropology at Texas State University. In addition to his books with McGee, he has coauthored (with Serena Nanda) the best-selling textbooks Cultural Anthropology, 13e and Culture Counts, 5e.

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