The Gaze of the Other (An Introduction to Anthropological Theory)

Author: (English) Leiden, translated by Meng Yang Shanren
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: This book does not aim to provide a comprehensive history of anthropological thought. The author focuses on current debates to write this work, emphasizing the ways in which anthropological theories collide rather than tracing the entire history of theoretical development. The author demonstrates the practical application of theories by showing how various theories help explain social and cultural processes within specific groups. Where appropriate, I have tried to present the complementary or competitive interpretations of different theories on the same ethnographic case. I believe the most important theories today are social ecology and postmodernism, and the contributions of several early theories discussed in the book have also influenced the development of current theoretical debates. This book does not review the theory of communication, and the ideas of evolution are also discussed less frequently. Even in the theoretical fields I have considered, many famous authors and works are not mentioned. Reviewing the original materials discussed, I always find that the theoretical perspectives they contain are far richer than those revealed in any secondary literature. I intend to guide readers toward such original texts rather than attempting to replace them. In this innovative work, Robert Leiden reviews various perspectives that have inspired the research of anthropologists worldwide, providing concise analyses of theories and tracing the process by which these theories were introduced into anthropological debates. The book begins by explaining the classic theoretical perspectives proposed by figures such as Hobbes, Rousseau, Marx, and Durkheim. Subsequent chapters discuss functionalism, structuralism, interaction theory, and Marxist anthropology. The book concludes with an overview of exemplary debates on social ecology and postmodernism. Professor Leiden’s detailed case studies illustrate how various theoretical perspectives can provide fully convincing descriptions of specific human societies.