ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY TODAY

Book Details:

• Author: Henrietta L. Moore

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: 2020 Edition

• ISBN: 9788131611333

• Pages: 308

• Cover: Hardcover

• Release Date: 01-12-2020

• Sale Territory: India

About the Book

This thought-provoking volume makes a compelling case for the relevance and reinvention of anthropological theory in the 21st century. Authored and edited by Henrietta L. Moore, the book addresses the dynamic shift in anthropology’s role — from academic isolation to active engagement with development agencies, NGOs, international institutions, and diverse communities across the globe.

It repositions anthropology within contemporary social theory and explores how changing cultural contexts demand fresh theoretical approaches. The essays critically examine power dynamics, agency, representation, and the evolving concept of the anthropologist as a knowledge producer. Foundational metaphors such as the body, the self, and gender are re-evaluated in light of modern social complexities, ethical debates, and interdisciplinary intersections.

With contributions from leading anthropologists, the volume investigates the economies of violence, state and citizenship, cognition, and cultural evolution. It advocates for an anthropology that is reflective, ethically grounded, and responsive to real-world transformations. Ethnography remains central, but it is now intertwined with global discourses and critical theory.

This book is an essential resource for students and scholars of anthropology, sociology, gender studies, and cultural theory, offering fresh insights into the discipline’s future directions.

Contents at a Glance:

1. Anthropological Theory at the Turn of the Century – Henrietta L. Moore

2. From Private Virtue to Public Vice – James G. Carrier & Daniel Miller

3. An Anthropology of the State and Citizenship – Aihwa Ong

4. Economies and Violence – Catherine Lutz & Donald Nonini

5. Toward an Ethics of the Open Subject – Debbora Battagli

6. Gender and Crises in Anthropology – Henrietta L. Moore

7. The Body’s Career in Anthropology – Thomas J. Csordas

8. Human Cognition and Cultural Evolution – Pascal Boyer

9. Psychoanalysis and Temporality – James Weiner

10. Anthropology and Cultural Studies – Nicholas Thomas