An Introduction To Cultural Anthropology (Paperback, Annotated edition)

AN INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY A NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION BY ROBERT H. LOWIE, PH. D. PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RINEHART COMPANY, INC. PUBLISHERS NEW YORK First Printing April, 1940 Second Printing February, 19 1 Third Printing Junc, 19J, f Fourth Printing March, 19 6 Fifth Printing October, 19 t 6 Sixth Printing June, 1947 COPYRIGHT, 1934, 1940, BY BOBERT H. LOWIB PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY J. J. LITTLE AND IVE8 COMPANY, NEW YORK ALL BIGHTS RESERVED TO MY WIFE PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION The original purpose of this book was to provide a topical survey of culture, with the emphasis on elemen tary facts. For lack of such preparatory orientation, I believed and I continue to believe, advanced students of the social sciences, including anthropology, and even young scholars launched on a professional career, remain pitiably at sea. They are sometimes found working with the subtlest problems when they have not the faintest idea how these fit into the general framework of civil ization. Apparently the book has fulfilled its humble mission in the English-speaking world and the French translation, Maniiel danthropologie culturelle Paris Payot, 1936, is said to have proved useful in France and in South America. However, teachers of anthropology in this country have urged amplification, requesting chapters on Lan guage and Theory, as well as descriptions of typical cul tures in their totality. The present edition is meant to satisfy these demands without undue enlargement. The tribal sketches, which occupy a large portion of the supplementary space, have received . special care. First, I have tried to demonstrate the range of culturalpossibilities by bringing out qualitative differences as well as varying degrees of complexity. Hence, chapters on Albania and Western civilization no less than on Fuegia and Australia on incipient and on intensive farmers on cultivators of rice and of maize on hunters and on herders. But pedagogically little is gained by a multiplicity of names for that reason the number of these sketches is limited and, so far as possible, tribes already rather fully considered in the topical survey are viii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION reintroduced in Part II so that cross-referencing may economize space. Second, even at best descriptive completeness is not possible and should not be aimed at even in outline. Indeed, the effort to treat all peoples according to one scheme distorts the pictures. The proper procedure is to view any one group according to its distinctive empha ses government cannot be ignored in the merest sketch of the Shilluk, but requires no explicit discussion in a chapter on Fuegians. On the other hand, cultural indi viduality is best depicted by contrast, and accordingly comparisons have been freely used. Finally, the peoples dealt with are not merely so many specimens of social patterns, but also exemplify broad principles of cultural process. Accordingly, these have been stressed at the close of the several chapters. Careful perusal of what is now Part I did not suggest the need for radical revision, but some supplementary information is offered under the head of Addenda. In compliance with special requests I have also added an Annotated Reading List over and above the Bibli ographical Notes. To the several firms and institutions that authorized reproduction of copyrightedillustrations I once more express my obligation above all to The American Mu seum of Natural History, which provided the half-tones for the chapter on Art to Field Museum Chicago the Baessler-Archiv Berlin Anthropos formerly St. Gabriel-Modling bei Wien, now in Fribourg, Switzer land Institut dEthnologie Paris F. A. Brockhaus Leipzig Albert Bonnier Stockholm and the Uni versity of Minnesota Minneapolis. ROBERT H...