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ANTHROPOLOGY: A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO THEORY AND METHOD Second Edition Stanley R. Barrett’s Anthropology has long been a premier sourcebook for students, providing a comprehensive overview of both theory and method in the discipline. In this second edition, Barrett expands his discussion of the origins and evolution of anthropology to address recent changes and ongoing debates in the field. This edition provides new material on questions of culture versus power, Max Weber’s thought, the potential of applied anthropology, and the rise of public anthropology, while touching on the anthropology of globalization. As in the previous edition, Barrett explores the impact of postmodernism on the theory and practice of anthropology, and includes a variety of case studies to demonstrate real-world applications of the theories discussed. Highly regarded for its unique approach and accessibility, Anthropology remains an essential introductory text for students, teachers, and researchers in the field. stanley r. barrett is a professor emeritus in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph. This page intentionally left blank STANLEY R. BARRETT ANTHROPOLOGY A Student’s Guide to Theory and Method Second Edition UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS Toronto Buffalo London © University of Toronto Press Incorporated 2009 Toronto Buffalo London www.utppublishing.com Printed in Canada isbn 978-0-8020-9916-7 (cloth) isbn 978-0-8020-9612-8 (paper) Printed on acid-free paper Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Barrett, Stanley R., 1938– Anthropology : a student’s guide to theory and method / Stanley R. Barrett. 2nd ed. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-8020-9916-7 (bound). isbn 978-0-8020-9612-8 (pbk.) 1. Anthropology – Philosophy. 2. Anthropology – Methodology. I. Title gn33.b37 2009 301.01 c2009-903612-6 University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its publishing program of the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council. University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support for its publishing activities of the Government of Canada through the Book Publish- ing Industry Development Program (BPIDP). TO PROFESSOR F.G. BAILEY This page intentionally left blank Contents preface to the first edition xi preface to the second edition xiii 1 Unleashing the Anthropologist: A Historical Overview 3 General Anthropology 5 Social Anthropology 8 Basic Concepts 10 Criteria for Ethnographic Quality 25 Colonialism: The Critical Dimension 26 Crisis or Opportunity? 32 Science or Art? 33 Relationship between Anthropology and Other Disciplines 34 How to Learn the Fundamentals of a Discipline 39 Key Terms 41 Organization of the Book 44 PART ONE: BUILDING THE DISCIPLINE 2 Theory 49 Evolutionism 49 Historical Particularism 54 Structural Functionalism 61 Conclusion 68 3 Method 71 viii Contents The Methods Literature 72 The Fieldwork Situation 75 Basic Assumptions 76 Basic Techniques and Related Elements 77 Human Relations Area Files 80 The Redfield-Lewis Controversy 80 Conclusion 81 PART TWO: PATCHING THE FOUNDATION 4 Theory 85 Cultural Ecology (and Neo-Evolutionism) 85 Conflict Theory 94 Social Action 101 Conclusion 109 5 Method 111 The Methods Literature 111 The Fieldwork Situation 116 Some New Rules of Thumb 117 Formal Analysis 121 Case Study One: A West African Utopia 122 Case Study Two: The Radical Right in Canada 132 Conclusion 141 PART THREE: DEMOLITION AND RECONSTRUCTION 6 Theory 145 Structuralism 146 Postmodernism 154 Feminist Anthropology 167 Cultural Feminism versus Deconstructionism 176 Feminism and Marxism 178 Feminism and Postmodernism 178 Conclusion 181 7 Method 183 The Methods Literature 184 Contents ix The Fieldwork Situation 187 Case Study Three: Social Change in Rural Ontario 189 Case Study Four: Gender and Violence in Corsica 197 Backlash against Feminist Methodology 206 Are Women Better Fieldworkers than Men? 208 Anthropology at Home 211 Applied Anthropology 214 Public Anthropology 221 Conclusion 231 PART FOUR: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 8 The Last Frontier: How to Analyse Qualitative Data 235 The Literature on Qualitative Analysis 237 A Modest Alternative 243 The Model 244 The Burst of Insight 248 Writing 256 Conclusion 261 9 Taming the Anthropologist: The World Ahead 264 bibliography 269 index 295