Could anyone suggest some good anthropology reading?

Question

I'm a beginning student of anthropology and would like to do some more reading on the subject this summer. Could anyone suggest some good books or articles? I don't really have a preference in topics, but since I'm just starting out, maybe materials that have a broader approach, subjects that cover key elements, or specifically important works to the field. (I don't mind at all if subjects overlap/correspond with sociology)

Answer 1

Find out who built the Great Pyramid and whether we could do it today.

The question to ponder is: In the remote past, have there been civilizations on Earth more technologically advanced than our own? Your research may surprise you.

Answer 2

Great question. Hard too. There is so much, as you can imagine. i have read a few answers and it seems that people are giving you indeed the basic, solid, must anthropologists' works as classics. I would add if not already done, something that can be categorized as "symbolic anthropology" that touches religion and faith roles in a society. A classic is "The Sacred and the Profane" by Mircea Eliade. Also, "the interpretation of cultures"  by clifford geertz. I was very much into symbolic anthropology and I feel that this book is one of the best introduction to this sub-field.

If possible, I would suggest any Foucault's such as "Madness and Civilization," "the history of Sexuality," "Birth of the Prison."  Hope you enjoy your first class in anthropology and you are very wise to read some of this stuff prior.

Answer 3

Not to burden down your summer, here are some light anthro readings:

Evolution by Edward Larson.  This is a good overview of the history of evolutionary theory.  It is full of information but does not read like a textbook. (covers physical anth)

The Innocent Anthropologist: Notes from a Mud Hut  by Nigel Barley.  This was an enjoyable read of the experine of a British anthropologist in northern Cameroon. (cultural area)

I like anything by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy.  She writes from the female perspective and you will more than likely discuss her work in your theory and primate classes (if you take both)

Then there are the classics: Darwin, Boaz, Malinowski, Geertz, etc.  

A good idea would be to think of something that interests you, a culture, topic, etc.  If you google this with anthropology you could get tons of articles and books.  Anthro is such a large field that it is hard to narrow down choices. Everyone is area specific which is apparent in reading lists.  I am a physical anthro (emphasis skeletal biology) and could give tons of things to read in this area.  

Good luck

Answer 4

Try anything by John Tooby or Donald Symons. They are evolutionarily informed anthropologists who are bent on saving anthropology from the ideologically driven.

Answer 5

The Naked Ape.

Authored by Desmond Morris

Answer 6

Anything by Dr. Carolyn Fluer-Lobban. She's a professor of Middle Eastern studies at Rhode Island college and one of the best profs I ever had. She's written a lot on women in muslim societies.

Vin

Answer 7

The Bible

Answer 8

It depends on the subfield you are more interested in.  Of course, if you have access to an academic library, there is a journal called American Antiquity.  It really spans the field quite well sometimes.  I think that they are bound into book form.  So, you would be able to check out multiple issues as one book to flip through.  Another option would be to look at the books that are required for courses in Anthropology.  I use to do this and I would find some books I wouldn't find any other way.

Anyway, here are some books you could look into in the meantime.  You may even be able to check them out at the library or order them from amazon or something.

Postmodernism and the Social Sciences by Robert Hollinger.

Sport, Identity and Ethnicity by J MacClancy

Blood Relations: Menstuation and the Origins of Culture by C Knight (this one presents a new model to how culture may have started)

Indigenous Archaeology:  American Indian Values and Scientific Practice by Joe Watkins

Rethinking Race:  Franz Boaz and His Contemporaries by Vernon J. Williams

Death by Theory:  A Tale of Mystery and Archaeology Theory by Adrian Praetzellis

Human Variation:  Races, Types, and Ethnic Groups by Stephen Molner

Here's some classic anthropology books (you'll have to keep in mind the times in which they were written):

s*x and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies by Margaret Mead

Anthropology and Modern Life by Franz Boaz

Crime and Custom in Savage Society by Bronislaw Malinowski

Structural Anthropology by C. Levi-Strauss

I only described the ones that weren't justified in the title.  I hope this helps.  Chances are, one of the classic ones (and there are many more) might turn up on a reading list in future courses.

Answer 9

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.

Anything by Charles Darwin :]

Answer 10

Since this is summer readings, lets keep it light...

How about A Primate's Memoir by Robert M. Sapolsky, phenomenal book about a primatologist's experiences in Kenya and other parts of east and north eastern Africa.  He incorporates his Baboon behavioral observations in with his everyday experiences into a lively and memorable story.  All of Sapolsky's books are great!

I like Elaine Morgan's The Scars of Evolution, It is contrary to Contemporary Anthropological hypothesis regarding hominid evolution, but sometimes it is good to go against the grain with thought provoking, well thought out counter hypotheses.  She has some more recent books that introduce some other intresting ideas, and some of the biological conclussions in this and some of her other books are even too far out there for me, but generally the scars of evolution provides some good food for thought.  It is an easy read, but it might also end up with you arguing with your professors, so be careful with this controversial little diddy.

I will also second The Naked Ape, but as a companion to this one you could go for Our Inner Ape, by Frans de Waal as well.

Frans de Wall and Desmond Morris both write enjoyable books, so you could even choose others from these authors as well.

Sorry for weighting it so much towards primates, but I guess they make the best light reading.

Oh yeah, I don't know if this one would be considered Anthropological, or philisophical, but Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is an enjoyable read as well.  It is about civilizations and their inherent flaws.

PS The de Wall, Morris and Quinn books have sociological overlap.  Where as Sapolski deals with sociological issues in a more anecdotal fasion.  Morgan only deals with sociological issues fleetingly as they might apply to her evolutionary hypotheses.

I just thought of another book that I really enjoyed... Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs & Steel, very sociological as well.

Answer 11

"The Parable of the Tribes"

by Andrew Bard Schmookler

(stop laughing - that's really his name)