Mirror for Man: The Relation of the Anthropology to Modern Life - Softcover

Clyde Kluckhohn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 007035071X ISBN 13: 9780070350717

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Inc, 1959

Synopsis

While the world has undoubtedly been shrinking, at the same time it has grown more complex. The likelihood of culture clashes leading to outright conflict is high, perhaps higher than ever. As Andrea L. Smith convincingly argues in her new introduction to this classic work, certain questions are as valid today as in 1949, when Mirror for Man was first published. Can anthropology break down prejudices that exist between peoples and nations? Can knowledge of past human behavior help solve the world’s modern problems? What effect will American attitudes likely have on the future of the world?

In Mirror for Man, Clyde Kluckhohn scrutinizes anthropology, showing how the discipline can contribute to the reconciliation of conflicting cultures. He questions age-old race theories, shows how people came to be as they are, and examines limitations in how human beings can be molded. Taking up one of the most vital questions in the post-World War II world, whether international order can be achieved by domination, Kluckhohn demonstrates that cultural clashes drive much of the world’s conflict, and shows how we can help resolve it if only we are willing to work for joint understanding.

By interpreting human behavior, Kluckhohn reveals that anthropology can make a practical contribution through its predictive power in the realm of politics, social attitudes, and group psychology. Andrea L. Smith’s new introduction provides convincing evidence for the continuing importance of one of the earliest “public intellectuals.”

 

About this title

About the Author:

Clyde Kluckhohn was Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University, best known for his long-term ethnographic work among the Navajo and his contributions to the development of theory of culture within American anthropology.

Review:

“If the statesmen of the world had the knowledge contained in this book, people everywhere could sleep sounder at night.”

—Stuart Chase

“The best non-technical book on anthropology which has appeared to date.”

—Ralph Linton, Sterling Professor of Anthropology, Yale University

“Fascinating and enlightening.”

—The Saturday Review of Literature

“[A] miracle in the clear and simple presentation and interpretation of human institutions and behavior . . . delightful reading, instructive reading.”

—Chicago Tribune

About this edition

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Inc
• Publication date: 1959
• ISBN 10: 007035071X
• ISBN 13: 9780070350717
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272