Evolution And History

Preface xxvii

read” of the image. Each chapter features at least fourteen

pictures, and many chapters contain our popular Visual

Counterpoints—side-by-side photos that effectively com-

pare and contrast biological or cultural features.

MAPS

Map features include our “Putting the World in Perspec-

tive” map series, locator maps, and distribution maps that

provide overviews of key issues such as pollution, endan-

gered species, and fossil localities. Of special note are the

Globalscape maps and stories, described in the boxed fea-

tures section a bit further on.

Challenge Issues and Questions

for Reflection

Each chapter opens with a Challenge Issue and accom-

panying photograph, which together carry forward the

book’s theme of humankind’s responses through time to

the fundamental challenges of survival within the context

of the particular chapter. And each chapter closes with five

Questions for Reflection, including one that relates back

to the Challenge Issue presented in the chapter’s open-

ing. These questions are designed to stimulate and deepen

thought, trigger class discussion, and link the material to

the students’ own lives.

Chapter Preview

Every chapter opening also presents three or four pre-

view questions that mark out the key issues covered in the

chapter. Beyond orienting students to the chapter con-

tents, these questions provide study points useful when

preparing for exams.

Integrated Gender Coverage

In contrast to many introductory texts, Evolution and

Prehistory integrates rather than separates gender cover-

age. Thus material on gender-related issues is included in

every chapter. The result of this approach is a measure of

gender-related material that far exceeds the single chapter

that most books contain.

Why is the gender-related material integrated? Because

concepts and issues surrounding gender are almost always

too complicated to remove from their context. Moreover,

spreading this material through all of the chapters has a

pedagogical purpose, for it emphasizes how consider-

ations of gender enter into virtually everything people do.

Further, integration of gender into the book’s “biological”

chapters allows students to grasp the analytic distinction

between sex and gender, illustrating the subtle influence

of gender norms on biological theories about sex differ-

ence. Gender-related material ranges from discussions of

Accessible Language and

a Cross-Cultural Voice

What could be more basic to pedagogy than clear com-

munication? In addition to our standing as professional

anthropologists, all four co-authors have made a specialty

of speaking to audiences outside of our profession. Using

that experience in the writing of this text, we consciously

cut through unnecessary jargon to speak directly to stu-

dents. Manuscript reviewers have recognized this, noting

that even the most difficult concepts are presented in prose

that is straightforward and understandable for today’s

first- and second-year college students. Where technical

terms are necessary, they appear in bold-faced type, are

carefully defined in the narrative, and are presented again

in the running glossary in simple, clear language; these

terms also appear in the glossary at the end of the book.

To make the narrative more accessible to students, we

have broken it up into smaller bites, shortening the length

of the paragraphs. We have also inserted additional sub-

heads to provide visual cues to help students track what

has been read and what is coming next.

Accessibility involves not only clear writing enhanced

by visual cues but also a broadly engaging voice or style.

The voice of Evolution and Prehistory is distinct among

introductory texts in the discipline, for it has been writ-

ten from a cross-cultural perspective. We avoid the typical

Western “we/they” voice in favor of a more inclusive one

that will resonate with both Western and non-Western stu-

dents and professors. Also, we highlight the theories and

work of anthropologists from all over the world. Finally,

we have drawn the text’s cultural examples from industrial

and postindustrial societies as well as nonindustrial ones.

No doubt these efforts have played a role in the book’s in-

ternational appeal, evident in various translations and in-

ternational editions.

Compelling Visuals

Haviland et al. texts repeatedly garner high praise from

students and faculty for having a rich array of visuals,

including maps, photographs, and figures. This is im-

portant since humans—like all primates—are visually

oriented, and a well-chosen image may serve to “fix” key

information in a student’s mind. Unlike some competing

texts, all of our visuals are in color, enhancing their appeal

and impact. Notably, all maps and figures (many new to

this edition) have been created with a color-blind sensi-

tive palette.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Our pages feature a hard-sought collection of new and

meaningful photographs. Large in size, many of them

feature substantial captions that help students do a “deep

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