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Against the Anthropological Grain by Wilcomb E. Washburn — book cover

Against the Anthropological Grain

by Wilcomb E. Washburn
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Overview

"Readers can benefit from exposure to a cross-grained critic, especially one who write well and accessibly as Washburn does." — Choice Washburn critically examines key anthropological beliefs, especially the importance of cultural relativism and Western colonialism's harmful effects on Third World cultures. He turns the tables on theorists from the discipline. The questions raised force us to rethink our entrenched assumptions about the human condition, national identity and the future of anthropology.

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Editorials

From the Publisher

“This volume is a selection of essays written between 1967 and 1996. Washburn argues that anthropology lost credibility after WW II when it abandoned history and scientific objectivity on the one hand, and adopted ideologies of collectivism and political action on the other.,. [R]eaders can benefit from exposure to a cross-grained critic.” —R. Berleant-Schiller, Choice

Booknews

In this collection of 15 previously published essays, the late historian of the Smithsonian questions the scientific credibility of anthropology, noting the degree to which the discipline is colored by an ideological cast. He addresses such questions as whether anthropologists should involve themselves in intertribal conflicts, whether anthropology ignores the rights of the individual within the group, and whether museums should return so-called sacred objects from their collections. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Book Details

Published
October 31, 1997
Publisher
Transaction Publishers
Pages
211
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781560003366

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