History of Theory and Method in Anthropology

Regna Darnell's book, History of Theory and Method in Anthropology, critically examines the theoretical orientation of the Americanist tradition and the professionalization of anthropology in the United States. It explores the theory schools, institutions, and social networks of scholars and fieldworkers focused on ethnography of North American Indigenous peoples. Darnell's fifty-year career includes foundational writings in cultural anthropology, ethnography, linguistics, and physical anthropology. The book features prominent researchers, theorists, and fieldwork subjects, including Claude Lévi-Strauss, Franz Boas, Benjamin Lee Whorf, and George Stocking Jr. It is a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in the history of the inductive theory schools and methodologies of the Americanist tradition and its legacies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 348 pages
Publication date: 23 May 2022
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

The Americanist tradition, with its focus on Franz Boas' work, has undergone a critical reexamination by Regna Darnell. This examination also delves into the professionalization of anthropology as an academic discipline in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

History of Theory and Method in Anthropology provides a comprehensive exploration of the theoretical orientations, institutions, and social networks of scholars and fieldworkers primarily engaged in the ethnography of North American Indigenous peoples. Spanning fifty years, Darnell's career has left an indelible mark in the four fields of cultural anthropology, ethnography, linguistics, and physical anthropology.

This book features the contributions of renowned researchers, theorists, and fieldwork subjects, including Claude Lévi-Strauss, Franz Boas, Benjamin Lee Whorf, John Wesley Powell, Frederica de Laguna, Dell Hymes, George Stocking Jr., and Anthony F.C. Wallace. Additionally, it delves into nineteenth-century Native language classifications, ethnography, ethnohistory, social psychology, structuralism, rationalism, biologism, mentalism, race science, human nature and cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, standpoint-based epistemology, collaborative research, and applied anthropology.

History of Theory and Method in Anthropology serves as a vital resource for scholars and undergraduate and graduate students seeking to delve into the history of the inductive theory schools and methodologies of the Americanist tradition and its enduring legacies. It offers a rich and detailed account of the development of anthropology as a discipline, shedding light on the significant contributions and influences of its pioneers.

Weight: 532g
Dimension: 154 x 230 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496231307