RISE OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY: A History of Theories of Culture (Updated Edition)

The best known, most often cited history of anthropological theory was first published in 1968. Harris’s book has been cited in over 1, 000 works and is one of the key documents explaining cultural materialism, the theory associated with Harris’s work. This updated edition includes the complete 1968 text plus a new introduction by the author, which discusses the impact of the book and highlights some of the major trends in anthropological theory since its original publication. “The Rise of Anthropological Theory”, comprehensively traces the history of anthropology and anthropological theory, culminating in a strong argument for the use of a scientific, behaviorally based, etic approach to the understanding of human culture known as cultural materialism. It is an essential volume for the library of all anthropologists, their graduate students, and other theorists in social sciences.

Marvin Harris is graduate research professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Florida and the author of “Culture, People, Nature; Cultural Materialism: The Struggle for a Science of Culture; ” and “Theories of Culture in Postmodern Times”.