Man in adaptation;: The cultural present - Hardcover

Cohen, Yehudi A

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0202011097 ISBN 13: 9780202011097

Publisher: Aldine Pub. Co, 1974

Synopsis

Underlying the anthropological study of man is the principle that there is a reality to which man must adapt if he is to survive. Reproduce, and to perpetuate himself. Populations must adapt to the realities of the physical world and maintain a proper "fit" between their biological makeup and the pressures of the various niches of the world in which they seek to live. Social groups―where culture is found―must develop adaptive mechanisms in the organization of their social relations if there is to be order, regularity, and predictability in patterns of cooperation and competition and if they are to survive as viable units. This three-volume set of readings presents an introduction to anthropology that is unified and made systematic by focus on adaptations that have accompanied the evolution of man, from non-human primate to inhabitant of vast urban areas in modern industrial societies.

Man in Adaptation: The Cultural Present introduces Cultural Anthropoloty also from the point of view of adaptation and provides coherence for the study of human societies from man's social beginnings to the present. The book deals sequentially with the more and more complex technologies and political and social structures that have enabled different societies to make effective use of the energy potentials in their habitats.

This and the two companion volumes are the first attempt to unify the disparate subject matter of anthropology within a single and powerful explanatory framework. They incorporate the work of the most renowned anthropological experts on man, and they illuminate clearly one of the most important concepts around which one can build an investigation of the nature and scope of anthropology itself. For these reasons, they are recognized as indispensable reading for every professional anthropologist and as perhaps the best available means of introducing new students to the field.

About this title

About the Author:

Yehudi A. Cohen was professor emeritus of anthropology at Rutgers University. He authored numerous books and articles including Human Behavior: The Biosocial Background, Man in Adaptation: The Cultural Present, and Social Structure and Personality.

Review:

“This book, a companion volume to the earlier one on man’s biosocial background, has much to commend it... The editor has chosen the various papers with considerable care: most are significant contributions, of interest both for their case material and their methodological approaches. Moreover, Cohen has given the book a sense of coherence by relating the papers closely to a central argument... Cohen must... be congratulated on having produced a very useful book.”

—Rosemary Harris, Man

“Volume II presents an introduction to cultural anthropology with papers ordered in a sequence of five “strategies of adaptation”: hunting and gathering, horticulture, pastoralism, agriculture, and industrialism... The organizational format for Man in Adaptation would seem to offer several advantages to the beginning student. By using a specific conceptual framework and central theme to present the material a certain unity is accorded the often bewildering diversity of anthropological concepts and interests. This should contribute significantly toward a more rewarding educational experience. The frequent use of introductory essays successfully highlights the continuities and eases the transitions between specific studies.”

—Mary W. Helms, American Anthropologist

“Here, then, is a specific task and place in the sun for Anthropology: The interpretation of [those] phenomena into which both organic and social causes enter. The untangling and determination and reconciling of these two sets of forces are anthropology’s own. They constitute, whatever else it may undertake, the focus of its attention and an ultimate goal.”

—Alfred L. Kroeber

About this edition

• Publisher: Aldine Pub. Co
• Publication date: 1974
• ISBN 10: 0202011097
• ISBN 13: 9780202011097
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 602