William W. Dressler – författare

This book provides a unique study in social and cultural psychiatry, carried out in an African-American community in the rural South. Using a combination of concepts and methods from anthropology and social epidemiology, the specific social and psychological risk factors for depression are examined. The author places special emphasis on how that risk is modified by the social and historical context of the Black community in the United States, and suggests a new basis for the sociocultural comparative study of health and disease.

The authors of this book share a common assumption about anthropology-that replicable and systematic procedures of data collection and analysis are essential requirements for building useful cultural theory. They view cultural theory as both an aid to understanding sociocultural phenomena, and as an aid in changing existing social conditions.This book focuses on five specific themes representing a set of principles for conducting research: the importance of intra-cultural variation; the blending of qualitative and quantitative approaches; the search for micro/macro levels of generalization; the innovative matching of methodology to research problems; and the practical or applied merit of systematically generated and evaluated theory. It contributes to scientific anthropology and shows that the credibility and utility of anthropological research in policy matters is enhanced by scientific research methodology.

The 5 Things You Need to Know about Statistics provides an accessible introduction to statistical thinking for anthropologists and other social scientists who feel some mixture of dread and loathing when it comes to quantification and data analysis. It is not so much an introduction to statistics as a primer on how to think statistically in order to do precise ethnographic studies. Readers will be empowered by the realization that statistics is not an arcane, enigmatical science but a set of tools for learning about the world in which we live. Unlike other books on statistics for beginners, this book-guides readers through the underlying logic of the major statistical methods before applying those methods in interpreting ethnographic research, thus emphasizing understanding of quantitative methods;-uses a single data set in explaining each method, allowing readers to grasp how different methods offer varying interpretations of the data;-discusses increasingly complex techniques in plain, easy-to-understand language intended for beginning students.;-covers five central ideas: central tendency, dispersion, Chi-square, ANOVA, correlation;-shows readers how to use these quantitative statistical methods in doing real-life ethnographic fieldwork.

The 5 Things You Need to Know about Statistics provides an accessible introduction to statistical thinking for anthropologists and other social scientists who feel some mixture of dread and loathing when it comes to quantification and data analysis. It is not so much an introduction to statistics as a primer on how to think statistically in order to do precise ethnographic studies. Readers will be empowered by the realization that statistics is not an arcane, enigmatical science but a set of tools for learning about the world in which we live. Unlike other books on statistics for beginners, this book-guides readers through the underlying logic of the major statistical methods before applying those methods in interpreting ethnographic research, thus emphasizing understanding of quantitative methods;-uses a single data set in explaining each method, allowing readers to grasp how different methods offer varying interpretations of the data;-discusses increasingly complex techniques in plain, easy-to-understand language intended for beginning students.;-covers five central ideas: central tendency, dispersion, Chi-square, ANOVA, correlation;-shows readers how to use these quantitative statistical methods in doing real-life ethnographic fieldwork.

Winner of the 2019 Society for Anthropological Sciences Book PrizeThis book engages with the issue of how culture is incorporated into individuals' lives, a question that has long plagued the social sciences. Starting with a critical overview of the treatment of culture and the individual in anthropology, the author makes the case for adopting a cognitive theory of culture in researching the relationship. The concept of cultural consonance is introduced as a solution and placed in theoretical context. Cultural consonance is defined as the degree to which individuals incorporate into their own beliefs and behaviors the prototypes for belief and behavior encoded in shared cultural models. Dressler examines how this can be measured and what it can reveal, focusing in particular on the field of health.Written in an accessible style by an experienced anthropologist, Culture and the Individual pulls together more than twenty-five years of research and offers valuable insights for students as well as academics in related fields.