Anthropology from Credo Reference: Books

This new edition of the highly acclaimed Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology provides a unique guide to the ideas, arguments and history of the discipline. Combining anthropological theory and ethnography, it includes substantial entries, short biographies of important figures in anthropology, and glossary items.

This work includes numerous entries in A-Z order, critically reviewing the literature on specific topics from abortion to world systems theory. In addition, nine major entries cover each of the major disciplines (political economy; management and business; human geography; politics; sociology; law; psychology; organizational behavior) and the history and development of the social sciences in a broader sense.

This practical, down-to-earth dictionary helps students new to the social sciences gain a thorough understanding of the key terms, from Action research to Utilitarianism. Each entry includes a concise core definition, a more detailed explanation, and an introduction to the associated debates and controversies. In addition, the book includes a useful outline of the practical application of each term, as well as a list of key figures and recommendations for further reading.

The central aim of this encyclopedia is to give the reader a comparative perspective on issues involving conceptions of gender, gender differences, gender roles, relationships between the genders, and sexuality.

This new and up-to-date dictionary contains numerous references to both European and American concepts, debates and terms that are relevant today- including words such as 'boat people', 'cybernazis', 'ebonics' as well as more established words and terms, such as 'affirmative action', 'caste', 'fortress Europe' and many more.

An authoritative, crystal-clear introduction to research methods which really takes account of the needs of students for accessible, focused information to help with undergraduate essays and exams.

The A-Z is a collection of entries ranging from qualitative research techniques to statistical testing and the practicalities of using the Internet as a research tool. Alphabetically arranged in accessible, reader-friendly formats, the shortest entries are 800 words long and the longest are 3000. Most entries are approximately 1500 words in length and are supported by suggestions for further reading.

An accessible, authoritative, no-nonsense guide to the key concepts in one of the most widely used methodologies in social science: Ethnography.

Encyclopedia of Archaeology: History and Discoveries explores the archaeologists, sites, debates, techniques, methods, and issues that are central to the global practice of archaeology. These richly illustrated volumes trace the development of the field from the ancient Greeks to the present day. Through detailed tours of major excavation sites from all over the world - Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, Ephesus, Pompeii, the tomb of Tutankhamun - as well as more obscure sites like Brzesc Kujawski in Poland, readers gain an appreciation for the inherent challenges all archaeologists share in locating, recovering and making sense of evidence of past human lives.

It is paradoxical that a subject that so easily captures the imagination is so difficult for the serious layman to access. Superficial media treatments and picture-book atlases and site guides on the one hand, jargon-heavy scholarly books and narrowly focused articles on the other-there are few ways to learn about the real world of archaeology outside the college classroom or the dig site. The Encyclopedia of Archaeology changes this, in making all aspects of archaeology accessible to a broad audience of the general scientific community, educators, students, and avocational archaeologists.

The Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology is unique because it is the first reference work to describe the cultural practices relevant to health in the world's cultures and to provide an overview of important topics in medical anthropology. No other single reference work comes close to marching the depth and breadth of information on the varying cultural background of health and illness around the world. More than 100 experts - anthropologists and other social scientists - have contributed their firsthand experience of medical cultures from around the world.

Hunting and gathering was humanity's first and most successful adaptation, occupying at least 90 percent of human history. Until 12,000 years ago, all humans lived this way. Surprisingly in an increasingly urbanized and technological world, dozens of hunting and gathering societies have persisted and thrive world-wide, resilient in the face of change, their ancient ways now combined with the trappings of modernity.

Cassell's Peoples, Nations and Cultures is a fascinating and informative guide to the myriad discrete ethnic and cultural groupings that have inhabited our planet over the past 6000 years. It presents - in a simple and easy-to-follow A to Z structure within five regionally based sections (The Americas, Africa, Europe, South and Central Asia and the Middle East, and East and Southeast Asia and Oceania) - clear, concise and readable histories of a significant number of peoples, nations and cultures: from the Assyrians of the ancient Middle East to the modern-day Armenians, from the Belgae of ancient Europe to the modern-day Basques.

Focusing on three main ehtnic groups (Hausa-Falani, Yoruba, and Igbo) and ranging from precolonial times to independence in 1960 to the present, this breakthrough study portrays a Nigeria now striving to make a unified nation of itself. Offering a fresh understanding not just of Nigeria but of Africa as well, readers will enter the richly complex world of Nigeria's ethnic history.

How did South Africa become a crossroads for peoples as diverse as the Zulu, the Xhosa, the Dutch, and the Chinese? Did the end of apartheid really herald a new dawn in race relations, or have the scars of those years yet to truly heal? To answer these questions, this timely volume examines South Africa's ethnic history over 500 years. From the earliest contacts between Europeans and Africans to the country's changing role in the post-apartheid era, this reference work traces the fascinating racial history of South Africa before, during, and after the apartheid years.

In this comprehensive reference, Historian J.M. Bumsted takes readers on a chronological tour of Canada's ethnic history from aboriginal society and the French and English "founding cultures" to the "Alien Menace" of World War I and the influx of refugees after World War II. From the botched storming of the ship Komagata Maru and its forced return to India to Quebec's separatism, Bumsted explores one of the most important themes in Canadian historical development.

Written by a social anthropologist educated in Iran and England, this analysis presents vital statistics on the Persians, Kurds, Turks, Lurs, Assyrians, Arabs, and other pastoral and urban groups of Iran, highlighting their differing languages, religions, cultural practices, political agendas, and current problems. The settling of nomadic tribes, the unveiling of women, the Islamic Revolution, OPEC, Soviet intervention, Kurdish oppression - these and other contentious topics are all examined with respect to their impact on Iran's ethnic entities.

The Former Soviet Union's Diverse Peoples provides an overview of the peoples and events in the historical development of the Russian and Soviet empires. Documenting the Russian conquest and domination of more than 100 large and small national groups, the book details ethnic migrations, rivalries, and conflicts against the backdrops of key historic events such as the Russian Revolution, World Wars I and II, the Cold War, and the breakup of the Soviet Union.

This timely volume examines the ethnic history of the former Yugoslavia. From the settlement of the South Slavs in the 6th century to the present-paying special attention to the post-World War II era, the crisis and democratization in the 1980s, and the disintegration of the country in the early 1990s. This comprehensive volume traces the bloody history of the region through to the fragile alliances of its present-day countries.

A contemporary analysis of the people, cultures, and society within the regions that make up Eastern Europe.