Social anthropology and human origins [electronic resource] / Alan Barnard.

By: Barnard, Alan (Alan J.)Contributor(s): ProQuest (Firm)Material type: TextTextPublication details: Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2011Description: xiii, 182 p. : illISBN: 9781139079693 (electronic bk.)Subject(s): Human beings -- Origin | Human evolutionGenre/Form: Electronic books.DDC classification: 301 LOC classification: GN281 | .B369 2011Online resources: Click to View
Contents:
Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; 2. If chimps could talk; 3. Fossils and what they tell us; 4. The brain and group size; 5. Teaching, sharing and exchange; 6. Origins of language and symbolism; 7. Elementary structures of kinship; 8. A new synthesis; 9. Conclusions.
Summary: "The study of human origins is one of the most fascinating branches of anthropology. Yet it has rarely been considered by social or cultural anthropologists, who represent the largest subfield of the discipline. In this powerful study Alan Barnard aims to bridge this gap. Barnard argues that social anthropological theory has much to contribute to our understanding of human evolution, including changes in technology, subsistence and exchange, family and kinship, as well as to the study of language, art, ritual and belief. This book places social anthropology in the context of a widely-conceived constellation of anthropological sciences. It incorporates recent findings in many fields, including primate studies, archaeology, linguistics and human genetics. In clear, accessible style Barnard addresses the fundamental questions surrounding the evolution of human society and the prehistory of culture, suggesting a new direction for social anthropology that will open up debate across the discipline as a whole"-- Provided by publisher.
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Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; 2. If chimps could talk; 3. Fossils and what they tell us; 4. The brain and group size; 5. Teaching, sharing and exchange; 6. Origins of language and symbolism; 7. Elementary structures of kinship; 8. A new synthesis; 9. Conclusions.

"The study of human origins is one of the most fascinating branches of anthropology. Yet it has rarely been considered by social or cultural anthropologists, who represent the largest subfield of the discipline. In this powerful study Alan Barnard aims to bridge this gap. Barnard argues that social anthropological theory has much to contribute to our understanding of human evolution, including changes in technology, subsistence and exchange, family and kinship, as well as to the study of language, art, ritual and belief. This book places social anthropology in the context of a widely-conceived constellation of anthropological sciences. It incorporates recent findings in many fields, including primate studies, archaeology, linguistics and human genetics. In clear, accessible style Barnard addresses the fundamental questions surrounding the evolution of human society and the prehistory of culture, suggesting a new direction for social anthropology that will open up debate across the discipline as a whole"-- Provided by publisher.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2015. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.

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