About the Book

Anthropologists ask: why do people collectively think the ways they do, act the ways they do, form the social groups they do, and engage in the cultural practices they do? Drawing together a collection of contemporary ethnographic articles, Reading Cultural Anthropology is designed to illustrate how anthropologists employ a variety of theories and data collection methods to address these kinds of important questions in practice.

Featuring Canadian and international readings, the text has a broad geographic, cultural, and thematic scope, with topics ranging from Inuit households in the Northwest Territories, to internet matchmaking in Russia, to mining practices in Peru, to the effects of globalization on the lives of Afro-Cuban musicians. Each chapter is prefaced by an introduction written by the editor, which gives students the essential context they need to grasp the readings that follow, while a list of key points to consider and questions for critical thought at the end of each chapter help students analyse anthropological writings. Together, the carefully selected readings in this text offer students a comprehensive introduction to ethnography and an opportunity to engage with tangible examples of anthropological work. At the same time, they provide students with valuable insight into the lives, practices, and concerns of a wide variety of peoples around the globe.