Anthropological Insights – serie

Inequality is currently gaining considerable attention in academic, policy, and media circles. From Thomas Piketty to Robert Putnam, there is no shortage of economic, sociological, or political analyses. But what does anthropology, with its focus on the qualitative character of relationships between people, have to offer? Drawing on current scholarship and illustrative ethnographic case studies, McGill argues that anthropology is particularly well suited to interrogating global inequality, not just within nations, but across nations as well.Brief, accessibly written, and peppered with vivid ethnographic examples that bring contemporary research to life, Global Inequality is an introduction to the topic from a unique and important perspective.

Inequality is currently gaining considerable attention in academic, policy, and media circles. From Thomas Piketty to Robert Putnam, there is no shortage of economic, sociological, or political analyses. But what does anthropology, with its focus on the qualitative character of relationships between people, have to offer? Drawing on current scholarship and illustrative ethnographic case studies, McGill argues that anthropology is particularly well suited to interrogating global inequality, not just within nations, but across nations as well.Brief, accessibly written, and peppered with vivid ethnographic examples that bring contemporary research to life, Global Inequality is an introduction to the topic from a unique and important perspective.

Inequality is currently gaining considerable attention in academic, policy, and media circles. From Thomas Piketty to Robert Putnam, there is no shortage of economic, sociological, or political analyses. But what does anthropology, with its focus on the qualitative character of relationships between people, have to offer? Drawing on current scholarship and illustrative ethnographic case studies, McGill argues that anthropology is particularly well suited to interrogating global inequality, not just within nations, but across nations as well.Brief, accessibly written, and peppered with vivid ethnographic examples that bring contemporary research to life, Global Inequality is an introduction to the topic from a unique and important perspective.

This book offers a brief introduction to the anthropological study of Russia. Moving beyond the conceptual iron curtain that has divided past study of Russia into "East" and "West," it situates Russia in a global context and provides readers with all of the necessary analytical tools for understanding the complex cultural and social configurations of the contemporary Russian Federation. Based on extensive fieldwork in Russia, it offers unique insights into a number of cultural configurations—including socialism, violence, mythology, colonialism, nationalism, gender, memory, democracy, media, and art. Through the use of interesting case studies and ethnographic "snapshots," the author has produced a lively and engaging overview of Russia’s cultural meaning and significance.

This book offers a brief introduction to the anthropological study of Russia. Moving beyond the conceptual iron curtain that has divided past study of Russia into "East" and "West," it situates Russia in a global context and provides readers with all of the necessary analytical tools for understanding the complex cultural and social configurations of the contemporary Russian Federation. Based on extensive fieldwork in Russia, it offers unique insights into a number of cultural configurations—including socialism, violence, mythology, colonialism, nationalism, gender, memory, democracy, media, and art. Through the use of interesting case studies and ethnographic "snapshots," the author has produced a lively and engaging overview of Russia’s cultural meaning and significance.

This book offers a brief introduction to the anthropological study of Russia. Moving beyond the conceptual iron curtain that has divided past study of Russia into "East" and "West," it situates Russia in a global context and provides readers with all of the necessary analytical tools for understanding the complex cultural and social configurations of the contemporary Russian Federation. Based on extensive fieldwork in Russia, it offers unique insights into a number of cultural configurations—including socialism, violence, mythology, colonialism, nationalism, gender, memory, democracy, media, and art. Through the use of interesting case studies and ethnographic "snapshots," the author has produced a lively and engaging overview of Russia’s cultural meaning and significance.

International borders are among the most significant political inventions of modern times. The borders between national states are not just important to the peoples and governments who face each other across the borderline – any international border can become a regional hotspot of global concern. But aside from the significant role borders play in national and international affairs, borders are also places and spaces where people live, work, raise families, and build businesses.Written for students across disciplines, Borders, Boundaries, Frontiers introduces readers to the study of borders and border cultures. Thomas M. Wilson examines both historical foundations and current developments in the field, with an emphasis on anthropological contributions. Ultimately, Borders, Boundaries, Frontiers encourages students to explore the role anthropology plays in the understanding of contemporary borders.

International borders are among the most significant political inventions of modern times. The borders between national states are not just important to the peoples and governments who face each other across the borderline – any international border can become a regional hotspot of global concern. But aside from the significant role borders play in national and international affairs, borders are also places and spaces where people live, work, raise families, and build businesses.Written for students across disciplines, Borders, Boundaries, Frontiers introduces readers to the study of borders and border cultures. Thomas M. Wilson examines both historical foundations and current developments in the field, with an emphasis on anthropological contributions. Ultimately, Borders, Boundaries, Frontiers encourages students to explore the role anthropology plays in the understanding of contemporary borders.

What makes a pandemic more than a disease? In Pandemics: Anthropological Insights, medical anthropologist Pamela Downe shows that outbreaks are biological events that become social and political crises, shaped by inequality, communication, and care.Drawing on ethnographic research and case studies including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, cholera, influenza, tuberculosis, polio, SARS, and COVID-19, this book explores how pandemics are lived, understood, and contested in everyday life. It moves beyond biomedical narratives to examine how power, governance, and cultural meaning shape both the spread of disease and the responses to it. Downe introduces key concepts – including the pandemic field and pandemic pathography – while also equipping readers with analytical tools for understanding communication, blame, risk, and care during health crises. Written in a clear, student-friendly, and highly accessible style, this book is designed to engage readers while maintaining analytical depth. Downe integrates field notes, discussion questions, classroom activities, and curated film recommendations in the book and its emphasis on real-world applications makes it particularly relevant for students and practitioners seeking to understand pandemics in both historical and contemporary contexts.From local caregiving practices to global health governance, pandemics emerge as sites of struggle over knowledge, responsibility, and survival. By centring lived experience alongside systems of power, Pandemics: Anthropological Insights shows why anthropological perspectives are essential to understanding pandemics as lived realities in communities across time and place.

In the early 1990s, "queer anthropology" represented a new and radically different approach to anthropological research on sexuality and gender, but it is now an established subfield of sociocultural anthropology. Queer Anthropology provides a concise, accessible overview of queer anthropology’s academic and activist origins, its key theoretical and methodological principles, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it has changed since its first appearance over thirty years ago.Each chapter includes discussion questions, recommended readings, and ethnographic examples to illustrate key concepts or themes. The book is written in accessible language for students, instructors, and non-specialist readers interested in how anthropologists think, research, and write about gender, sex, and sexuality. Designed for introductory anthropology, gender, and/or queer studies courses, Queer Anthropology provides important insights into the past, present, and future of queer anthropological research.

In the early 1990s, "queer anthropology" represented a new and radically different approach to anthropological research on sexuality and gender, but it is now an established subfield of sociocultural anthropology. Queer Anthropology provides a concise, accessible overview of queer anthropology’s academic and activist origins, its key theoretical and methodological principles, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it has changed since its first appearance over thirty years ago.Each chapter includes discussion questions, recommended readings, and ethnographic examples to illustrate key concepts or themes. The book is written in accessible language for students, instructors, and non-specialist readers interested in how anthropologists think, research, and write about gender, sex, and sexuality. Designed for introductory anthropology, gender, and/or queer studies courses, Queer Anthropology provides important insights into the past, present, and future of queer anthropological research.