General Anthropology (This book was nominated for the 6th National Book Award)

Author: edited by Zhuang Kongshao
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Anthropology: An Introduction was jointly funded by the Higher Education Department, the Department of Ethnic Affairs, and the Education Department of the State Nationalities Committee. It is a national key textbook approved by the Ministry and published by Shanxi Education Press, edited by Professor Zhuang Kongshao. Anthropology: An Introduction systematically introduces the development of anthropology as a discipline from its inception to the end of the 20th century, including new theories and research findings. It not only incorporates the ideas and perspectives of scholars from North America and Europe but also those of Chinese scholars. Associate Professor Zhang Xiaojun from the Sociology Department of Tsinghua University believes that this book breaks away from the traditional practice of simply translating foreign materials into textbooks, instead focusing more on writing and editing. Additionally, from an editorial perspective, Anthropology: An Introduction is suitable for undergraduate students of anthropology, as well as graduate students and scholars from other disciplines, filling the gap left by previous textbooks that targeted a narrow audience. Wu Naizhong believes that the greatest feature of this book lies in its emphasis on "newness." First, the creative team is young. Editor-in-Chief Professor Zhuang Kongshao is a doctoral graduate in ethnology (anthropology) trained in New China, who gathered over 30 outstanding middle-aged and young scholars from across the country to contribute to the book. Second, the knowledge system is new. This textbook incorporates many emerging and developing branches of anthropology, such as historical anthropology, visual anthropology, medical anthropology, urban anthropology, etc. It also provides important theoretical content from recent years in chapters on Sino-Western education, gender studies, writing culture, and the spatiotemporal changes in anthropological research. Particularly noteworthy is that the second chapter attempts to reorganize the common theoretical discourse models found in previous domestic and foreign textbooks. Anthropology: An Introduction also cites a large number of up-to-date foreign sources (as of 2000), and some new materials are even not included in foreign textbooks. Professor Hu Hongbao from Renmin University believes that emphasizing local materials is also one of the book's features. Many local case studies, such as the Chinese preference for male offspring in childbirth and the phenomenon of "returning to roots," showcase the achievements of Chinese anthropologists over the past few decades.