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Khashab29 t1_j1zh0op wrote

What Anthropology books would you recommend to someone new to the field? I took an intro to Anthropology course last year in college and it was my favorite class I’ve ever taken. I absolutely loved reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Hurari and am currently reading a book called 1491 by Charles man that is really interesting. Any suggestions are appreciated! (Also sorry if this is too far off theme)

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OakBayIsANecropolis t1_j1zs9cg wrote

Sapiens, by historian Yuval Noah Harari, plays pretty fast and loose with the science. The Dawn of Everything by anthropologist David Graeber and archaeologist David Wengrow has a similar vibe with better references - they still make a lot of speculations, but they're explicit about when they're doing so.

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xlnfraction t1_j218u3u wrote

Also them criticizing sapiens is rly fun to read tbh (and pretty true lol)

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Sombrero_Tanooki t1_j1zms1a wrote

During my first year at university, I studied Sociology amd Anthropology as an outside module. We had to discuss a book within the field out of a list, and I chose Alice Goffman's On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City. I read the whole thing in three days because I enjoyed it that much (and obviously, knowing more about the book would help in my exam).

A lot of the facts have since slipped out of my brain, but I very much remember being enthralled at the time, so I'd highly recommend it.

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Additional-Fee1780 t1_j21s8wc wrote

Philip Cohen the sociologist, who is generally pretty pro-poor, eviscerated that book on his blog. Her findings are implausible and her methods suck. (And she has BO and her mom is fat.)

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Cardlinger t1_j20p21j wrote

Specifically for Social Anthropology, I'd recommend "Watching the English" by Kate Fox - written by a social anthropologist who's the daughter of a social anthropologist talking about social anthropology - admittedly, in the context of the English so in that sense narrow, but covers the concepts of social anthropology very well.

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DotHobbes t1_j200xy0 wrote

Small Places -- Large Issues by Eriksen is a great intro to the field. For something more specific (and kind of mind blowing) I suggest Stone Age Economics which is about the economics of hunter-gatherers.

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Khashab29 t1_j21ust8 wrote

Thank you all for the suggestions, I’ll have to check them out!

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SpellingIsAhful t1_j208pmn wrote

Homo deus (follow up to sapiens), and blueprint were both really cool books as well. Guns, germs, and steel is next on my list. Supposed to be really good.

And a bit different, but the foundation series by Asimov is a more light hearted fun sci fi series with heavy sociology/anthro basis.

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