Evolution And History

Preface xxix

feel the holistic nature of the discipline. In addition, the

engagingly presented concepts themselves provide stu-

dents with a solid foundation in the principles and prac-

tices of anthropology today.

The text in hand has a significantly different feel to

it than previous editions. All chapters have been revised

extensively—the data, examples, and Suggested Read-

ings updated, the chapter openers refreshed with new,

up-to-date Challenge Issues and related photographs, and

the writing further chiseled to make it all the more clear,

lively, and engaging. Also, in addition to providing at least

one new entry in the much-used Questions for Reflection

at the end of the chapter, we have introduced a new ques-

tion in each Biocultural Connection box.

Beyond these overall changes, each chapter has under-

gone specific modifications and additions. The inventory

presented below provides brief previews of the chapter

contents and changes in this edition.

CHAPTER 1: THE ESSENCE OF ANTHROPOLOGY

The book’s opening chapter introduces students to the

holistic discipline of anthropology, the unique focus

of each of its fields, and the common philosophi-

cal perspective and methodological approaches they

share. Touching briefly on fieldwork and the compara-

tive method, along with ethical issues and examples

of applied anthropology in all four fields, this chapter

provides a foundation for understanding the methods

shared by all four fields of anthropology. It also prepares

students for the in-depth discussions of methods in pri-

matology and the methods for studying the past shared

by archaeology and paleoanthropology that follow in

later chapters.

A new Challenge Issue question dealing with global

aspects of surrogate births that demonstrates the ways that

an integrated holistic anthropological perspective contrib-

utes to the ability to negotiate the new technologies and

practices of our ever-more interconnected world. The up-

dated descriptions of the anthropological fields that follow

take into account the excellent suggestions of our review-

ers. The section on linguistic anthropology has been ex-

panded to include linguistic relativity, sociolinguistics,

the work to save endangered languages, and the ways that

languages continually change. The overview of physical

anthropology was reorganized to improve the flow and

includes an expanded discussion of developmental and

physiological adaptation. Primate conservation issues are

also highlighted. The archaeology section now includes

historical archaeology and the work of James Deetz along

with mention of other archaeological subspecializations.

Technological innovations in archaeology such as GIS and

GPR are included. Philippe Bourgois’s work on the urban

drug scene is included to illustrate range of the field sites

open to ethnographers today.

■“The Real Dirt on Rainforest Fertility,” by Charles C.

Mann

■“Tell It to the Marines: Teaching the Troops about

Cultural Heritage,” by Jane C. Waldbaum

ANTHROPOLOGISTS OF NOTE

Profiling pioneering and contemporary anthropologists

from many corners of the world, this feature puts the work

of noted anthropologists in historical perspective and draws

attention to the international nature of the discipline in

terms of both subject matter and prac ti tion ers. This edition

highlights eleven distinct anthropologists who reflect the

intellectual and geographic diversity of the discipline: Ber-

hane Asfaw, Franz Boas, Peter Ellison, Jane Goodall, Kinji

Imanishi, Fatimah Jackson, Louis S. B. Leakey, Mary Leakey,

Matilda Coxe Stevenson, Allan Wilson, and Xinzhi Wu.

GLOBALSCAPES

Appearing in about half of the chapters, this unique fea-

ture charts the global flow of people, goods, and services,

as well as pollutants and pathogens. With a map, a story,

and a photo, the feature shows how the world is intercon-

nected through human activity with topics geared toward

student interests. Each one ends with a Global Twister—a

question that prods students to think critically about glo-

balization. Globalscapes in this edition are

■“A Global Body Shop?,” investigating human organ

trafficking around the world

■“Gorilla Hand Ashtrays?,” showing how mining for

the cell phone component coltan is linked to gorilla

habitat destruction

■“Whose Lakes Are These?,” exploring the global and

local impact of efforts to preserve places of shared

cultural and natural importance through UNESCO’s

World Heritage List

■“Factory Farming Fiasco?,” investigating the global

industrial farming practices that have led to the cur-

rent swine flu pandemic

■“Iraqi Artifacts in New York City?,” exploring the effects

of the Iraq War on the precious Mesopotamian artifacts

that were housed in the National Museum in Baghdad

■“From Soap Opera to Clinic?,” chronicling pioneering

methods to disseminate life-changing public health

information through radio and television dramas

Changes and Highlights

in the Ninth Edition

The pedagogical features described above strengthen each

of the thirteen chapters in Evolution and Prehistory, serv-

ing as threads that tie the text together and help students

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