The Tapestry of Culture provides the student with the basic concepts necessary to understand these different cultures while showing that cultural variations occur within certain limits.
Maxine Weisgrau is adjunct associate professor of anthropology at Columbia University. Abraham Rosman was professor emeritus of anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University. Paula G. Rubel was professor emerita of anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University.
Detailed Contents Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1 Anthropological Perspectives Learning Objectives Studying Culture: Assumptions and Debates Human Evolution and Culture: The Emergence of Anatomically Modern Humans Upright Walking and Bipedalism: Cultural Implications of Evolutionary Change Meat Eating: Raw and Cooked Cultural Universals: What characteristics do all humans share? Cultural Rules and Norms Society Social Structure Analyzing and Writing about Culture: A Brief History of Anthropological Approaches Cultural Evolutionary Theory Franz Boas and Cultural Relativism Functionalism Structuralism Symbolic Anthropology Focus on History in Anthropology Feminist Anthropology: "Male" and "Female" in Theory and Practice Postmodernism in Anthropology Fieldwork and Ethnography in the 21st Century Globalization as an Anthropological Issue The Anthropocene The Material World and Culture: Environmental Anthropologies Political Ecology: Ecosystems and Inequalities The fieldwork journey Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 2 Anthropological Methods Learning Objectives Fieldwork Anthropology Moves to the Study of Complex Societies Studying Rituals Across Time and Space: The Comparative Approach American White Wedding Gowns and Rituals White Wedding Gowns and Rituals: A Brief History Wedding Ritual Variation: Marriage Equality and an American Wedding The Comparative Approach Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 3Language and Culture Learning Objectives The Evolution of Spoken Language Capacity The Structure of Language Phoemic Structure Morphemic Structure Syntax and Grammar Linguistic Relativity Linguistic Universals Language, Cognition, and Understanding Ethnosemantics Sociolinguistics Gender and Speech African-American Vernacular English Language Change and Historical Linguistics Contact Languages: Pidgins and Creoles Language Imperialism Language Loss and Revitalization Language, Power, and Policy World Englishes and the Spread of English Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 4 Learning Who We Are: Culture and The Individual Learning Objectives Parenting and Alloparenting Fathers as Caregivers Migrating Parents and Global Labor Markets What is Human Nature? Nature, Nurture and Beyond the Dichotomy How Children Learn to Communicate Learning Cultural Norms Nonverbal Communications Learning Gender Roles Culture and Personality Social Status and Personality Rebels and Innovators Emotional Expression and Cultural Norms Culture and Mental Illness Cross-Cultural Study of Mental Illness and Wellness: 21st Century Challenges Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 5 Symbols and Their Meanings Learning Objectives Categories of Symbols The Symbolism of Food Social Groups, Social Categories, and Their Symbols Symbolic Meanings of Space Body Symbolism Symbolism of Body Decoration The Symbolism of Sports Universal Symbols Symbols, Politics, and Authority Public Memorials and Monuments: Creating and Contesting Symbols of History Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 6 Ties That Connect: Marriage, Family, and Kinship Learning Objectives Marriage Marriage Prohibitions Exogamy and Endogamy Sister Exchanges Marriage Payments Bride Service Number of Spouses Levirate and Sororate Dissolution of Marriage Postmarital Residence Descent Systems Patrilineal Descent and Matrilineal Descent Unilineal Descent Groups: Their Structures and Function Clans Lineages Moieties Kindreds Relations Between Groups through Marriage Kinship Terminology Systems Fictive Kinship Kinship in the Contemporary World The Transnational Family Kinship in America Today Varieties of American Families Kinship, Class, and Ethnicity Marriage, Migration, and State Policy Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 7 Gender, Sexualities, and Age Learning Objectives Theorizing Gender and Sexuality Sexuality and Identities Identities and Political Participation Reproduction and Culture Work and Gender Gender and the Care Economy Gender and Industrialization Categories Based on Age Age Grades and Age Sets Aging, Retirement, and Care Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 8 Economic Organization: Production, Distribution, and Consumption Learning Objectives Production Hunting and Gathering Contemporary Hunters and Gatherers The Introduction of Agriculture Horticulture Grain Production Agriculture in Today's World Animal Domestication and Pastoralism Nomadic Pastoralism in Today's World The Organization of Work The Organization of Work in Contemporary Societies Distribution Distribution in Egalitarian Societies Systems of Exchange in Societies with Flexible Rank Systems of Exchange with Fixed Rank Caste in India Barter The Market System The Market Economy and Globalization Consumption The Changing Nature of Consumption Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 9 Power, Politics, and Conflict Learning Objectives Concepts in Political Anthropology Forms of Political Organization Informal Leadership Band Organization Big Man Structure Chieftainship The State War and Peace The Anthropology of Violence Law and Social Control Law in Postcolonial States Nation Building in Postcolonial States Empowerment Politics in Contemporary States Factionalism Warlords Patron-Client Relationship Political Economy Political Resistance and Globalization Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 10 Belief Systems, Rituals, and the Spirit World Learning Objectives Religion Studied/ Religion Defined? Ritual: Approaching the Supernatural Rites of Passage Rites of Passage in American Culture Rites of Intensification: Practice and Politics Stories about the Supernatural World Analyzing Myths: Historical and Contemporary Views American Myths, Legends, and Folktales Religion, History, and Science Conceptualizing the Supernatural Religious Specialists Religious Syncretism: Religions and Their Adaptations to Change Cyberspace and Religion Politics, Religion, and States Why Religion? Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 11Places and Spaces of Creative Expression Learning Objectives Art as Communication, Experience, and Resistance Art and Artists Performance and Creativity Music Dance Urban Legend: Stories on the Internet Cinema and Global Flows America Films, American Myths, and Legends Collection and Displays: Conflicts and Reconciliation The International Art World Today: Creating Value and Cost The Internet and Social Media: Anthropological Perspectives Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 12Global Health and Wellness COVID-19, Public Health Policy, and Inequalities Disease and Health How to Study Global Theories of Knowledge Case Study: Guinea Worm Eradication in Rajasthan, India Contrast and Dispute Over Streategy Health and Human Capital Confronting Inequality: UN Sustainable Development Goals Health and Education Health Inequalities and Disparities Within Countries Food Security and Nutrition Focus on Women's Health Child Mortality Case Study: South Africa Valuing Toilets: Sanitation/Gender/Health Climate Change and Health Psychological and Mental Well Being Community Health Worker Intervention Initiatives and Program Evaluation Case study: Thinking Healthy Program in Pakistan--Mobilizing Volunteer Peers Conflict Zones/Migration/Health Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 13Living/Working in the Globalized World: Colonialism, Globalization, and Development Colonialism, Globalization, and Anthropology Globalization, Production, and Consumption The Historic Background to Globalization: Many Faces of Colonial Rule New Ireland: A History of Increasing Incorporation into the Global System Development History and Strategies Anthropology and Change Ethnography and Development People on the Move Internal Migration Diasporas Migration and Transnationalism Transnational Families: Marriage, Partner, and Family Migration Feminization of Migration: Globalized Care and Service Economies "Movers" and "Non-Movers": Ethnography Perspectives Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites 14States and Identities: Ethnicity, Race, and Nationalism Racism and Critical Race Theory Nation Building Cultural Identity: Reasserted and Transformed in Modern States Revitalization Movements Cargo Cults Rebuilding Cultural Identities Ethnogenesis Ethnonationalism Multiculturalism Ethnic Differences, Ethnic Violence, and the New Nation of Afghanistan European Immigration and Multiculturalism in the United States Culture Unassimilated, Reiterated, and Renewed in America African-Americans and African Heritage Diversity in America: Challenges and Debates Summary Key Terms Suggested Readings Suggested Websites Epilogue Glossary References Index
