ANTHROPOLOGICAL THOUGHT: From Evolutionism to Postmodernism and Beyond

Book Details:

• Author: Vijoy S. Sahay

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: First Edition

• ISBN: 9788131613719

• Pages: 332

• Cover: Paperback

• Publication Date: 09 February 2024

About the Book

This comprehensive volume traces the emergence and evolution of anthropological thought from its earliest roots in Greek and Roman philosophy, through the Renaissance era, and into the scientific paradigms of the 19th century, notably following Darwin’s theory of evolution. It presents a clear narrative of how each theoretical school paved the way for the next—Evolutionism gave way to Diffusionism, which was succeeded by Historical and Dialectical Materialism, Functionalism, Structure-Functionalism, Culture and Personality approaches, Structuralism, Cultural Ecology, and other modern theories such as New Ethnography, Interpretive Anthropology, Postmodernism, and Human Materialism.

The book further explains key anthropological concepts like Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism, Emic and Etic perspectives, and National Character Studies. It profiles the lives and contributions of foundational thinkers including E.B. Tylor, Lewis Henry Morgan, Karl Marx, Franz Boas, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead, Michel Foucault, and Jacques Derrida, among others.

Essential for students, educators, and researchers in anthropology, sociology, psychology, and social science disciplines, this book serves as both a scholarly reference and an educational guide.

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Anthropological Ideas in Historical Perspective

3. Evolutionism

4. Diffusionism: British, German and American

5. Historical Particularism of Franz Boas

6. British Social Anthropology: Structure-Functionalism and Functionalism

7. Culture and Personality / Psychological School in Anthropology

8. Neo-Evolutionism

9. Structuralism: Claude Levi-Strauss and Prague School of Linguistics

10. New Ethnography

11. Materialist Theories in Anthropology

12. Postmodernism and Beyond

13. Postscript

About the Author

Dr. Vijoy S. Sahay is Former Head, Department of Anthropology, University of Allahabad. An expert in tribal studies, particularly of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, he has authored several books and over 50 research papers. He is the Founder Editor and Editor-in-Chief of The Oriental Anthropologist. He has held visiting positions at universities in India and abroad, including KwaZulu Natal University (South Africa) and Aarhus University (Denmark). Dr. Sahay has also contributed to key Indian government committees focused on the protection of indigenous tribes.