Culture Counts: A Concise Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Framed around the concept of culture, Nanda and Warms' brief book shows you how culture matters in driving and explaining human behavior, and that culture is a dynamic concept that interrelates various cultural systems in adaptive (or maladaptive) ways. The text focuses on how culture--a group of understandings, some explicit, some implicit, with recognizable norms and values--helps direct and explain peoples' behavior, why this is important for understanding what is going on in the world today, and how we can solve problems and effect positive change. The authors will draw you into the book's concepts via engaging ethnographic storytelling and a conversational writing style that connects you to the topics. You'll focus on contemporary issues, issues of globalization, issues of gender, and issues of equalities and inequalities--topics that are important to both the study of anthropology and your understanding of the world around you.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York Bio: Serena Nanda is professor emeritus of anthropology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. She has published two anthropological murder mysteries, The Gift of a Bride: A Tale of Anthropology, Matrimony, and Murder, a novel set in an Indian immigrant community in New York City, and Assisted Dying: An Ethnographic Murder Mystery on Florida's Gold Coast. Her other published works include Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras of India, winner of the 1990 Ruth Benedict Prize; American Cultural Pluralism and Law; Gender Diversity: Cross-Cultural Variations; and a New York City guidebook, 40 Perfect New York Days: Walks and Rambles in and Around the City. She has always been captivated by the stories people tell and by the tapestry of human diversity. Anthropology was the perfect way for her to immerse herself in these passions, and through teaching, to spread the word about the importance of understanding both human differences and human similarities.

Richard L. Warms is professor of anthropology at Texas State University-San Marcos. His published works include Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History; Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology; and An Encyclopedia And Sacred Realms: Essays In Religion, Belief, And Society. He also has written journal articles on commerce, religion, and ethnic identity in West Africa; African exploration and romanticism; and African veterans of French colonial armed forces. Warms' interests in anthropology were kindled by college courses and by his experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa. He has traveled extensively in Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America. He continues to teach Introduction to Cultural Anthropology but also teaches classes in anthropological theory, the anthropology of religion, economic anthropology, and film at both the undergraduate and graduate level. His current projects include a book about the development of anthropology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Students and faculty are invited to contact him with their comments, suggestions, and questions at r.warms@txstate.edu.