Anthropology, by Comparison

An international group of anthropologists take a fresh look at various neglected approaches to comparison and present new approaches that are relevant to the globalized world of the 21st century.

Comparison has long been the backbone of anthropology. But for some decades comparison as a theory and method has been out of favour, a casualty of the growing mistrust of objectivist, hard-science methodology. In Anthropology, by Comparison an international group of anthropologists re-invigorates comparison as a legitimate enterprise. The authors explain the valuable elements of anthropological comparison and encourage an international dialogue about comparative research. They take a fresh look at various neglected approaches to comparison and present new approaches that are relevant to the globalized world of the 21st century. Emmanuel Desveaux, Thomas Fillitz, Richard G. Fox, Andre Gingrich, Kirsten Hastrup, Adam Kuper, Marit Melhuus, James Peacock, Marilyn Strathern, Christina Toren and Jan J. de Wolf.