Anthropology: Encyclopedias

Introduction to human evolution with coverage ranging from genetics to demography and disease. Includes diagrams, maps, and photographs.

A basic reference source to the cultures of the world. Provides descriptions of all the cultures of each region of the world or of a representative sample of cultures for regions where full coverage is impossible, as well as accurate descriptions of cultures of the past.

A collective undertaking by more than 120 specialists in various fields of cultural anthropology. Makes reference to recent changes and provides comprehensive insight into the conditions and customs of the diverse peoples of the world.

The Encyclopedia is divided into three parts. The first contains case studies, by leading experts, of over fifty hunting and gathering peoples, in seven major world regions. There is a general introduction and an archaeological overview for each region. Part II contains thematic essays on prehistory, social life, gender, music and art, health, religion, and indigenous knowledge. The final part surveys the complex histories of hunter-gatherers' encounters with colonialism and the state, and their ongoing struggles for dignity and human rights as part of the world-wide movement of indigenous peoples

Presents some 1,000 entries on topics from all the major subfields of anthropology: physical/biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural/social anthropology, linquistics, and applied anthropology. Other major themes include biography, evolution, geology, paleontology, philosophy, psychology, religion/theology, sociology, and research/theoretical frameworks.

National foods are listed in entries for the country or region, which cover history, geography, people, types of food produced, and historic and current dishes. National dishes are also included in entries on types of food, such as fish, eggs, wheat, and so on. Popular dishes, particularly those of the West, are featured, as are a broad variety of food-related topics such as aversion to food, modern packaging, and hunger strikes.

Coverage includes anthropological subdisciplines; basic concepts of evolutionary biology, morphology and human biology; geographic regions; primate taxa; concepts of geology, paleontology, stratigraphy, geochronology, and archaeology; archaeology industries and localities; and biographical entries.

Contains 275 alphabetically organized, cross-referenced essay-length entries (with a selective list of references) pertaining to important areas of anthropological work; 300 biographical entries (in a separate section); and a glossary with brief definitions of 600 technical terms.

Covers scholarship and fields that have emerged and matured since the publication of the original international edition. Highlights the expanding influence of economics in social science research and features new articles and biographies contributed by scholars from around the world on a wide array of global topics in the social sciences.

Contains more than 600 signed articles representing current theory, practice, and policy in such disciplines as anthropology, economics, education, feminism, geography, government and politics, linguistics, philosophy, and sociology.

Covers cultural groups in Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa. Each volume is organized by continent, covering history, politics, customs, religion, education, human rights issues, teen life, and more.