The Dictionary of Anthropology is designed to open this exciting discipline to a wide audience and serve as a standard reference guide to the field of social and cultural anthropology. The Dictionary's core consists of substantial analytical articles focusing on key anthropological concepts, theories, and methodologies. Drawing on contributions from some 125 distinguished anthropologists, it provides both state-of-the-art critiques of current issues in anthropology and key summary assessments of the discipline's most important historical contributions to general knowledge. Through its examination of the field's significant ethnographic and thematic research, the Dictionary also provides the reader with clear, concise statements of central issues without privileging any particular theoretical approach.