This concise introduction to social and cultural anthropology has become a modern classic, revealing the rich global variation in social life and culture. The text provides a clear overview of anthropology, focusing on central topics such as kinship, ethnicity, ritual and political systems, offering a wealth of examples that demonstrate the enormous scope of anthropology and the importance of a comparative perspective. Unlike other texts on the subject, "Small Places, Large Issues" incorporates the anthropology of complex modern societies. Using reviews of key monographs to illustrate his argument, Eriksen's lucid and accessible text remains an established introductory text in anthropology. This new edition is updated throughout and increases the emphasis on the interdependence of human worlds. There is a new discussion of the new influence cultural studies and natural science on anthropology. Effortless bridging the perceived gap between 'classic' and 'contemporary' anthropology, "Small Places, Large Issues" is as essential to anthropology undergraduates as ever.

Contents: Introduction to the third edition; 1. Anthropology: Comparison and Context; 2. A Brief History of Anthropology; 3. Fieldwork and Ethnography; 4. The Social Person; 5. Local Organisation; 6. Person and Society; 7. Kinship as Descent; 8. Marriage and Relatedness; 9. Gender and Age; 10. Caste and Class; 11. Politics and Power; 12. Exchange and Consumption; 13. Production, Nature and Technology; 14. Religion and Ritual; 15. Language andCognition; 16. Complexity and Change; 17. Ethnicity; 18. Nationalism and Minorities; 19. Anthropology and the Paradoxes of Globalisation; Epilogue: Making Anthropology Matter; Bibliography; Index.

áThomas Hylland Eriksen is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo. He is the author of numerous books, including Ethnicity and Nationalism, A History of Anthropology, Small Places, Large Issues, Tyranny of the Moment and Globalisation, all available from Pluto Press.