--- product_id: 141399161 title: "Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective" price: "₹ 4527" currency: INR in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.in/products/141399161-introducing-cultural-anthropology-a-christian-perspective store_origin: IN region: India --- # Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective **Price:** ₹ 4527 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective - **How much does it cost?** ₹ 4527 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.in](https://www.desertcart.in/products/141399161-introducing-cultural-anthropology-a-christian-perspective) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description What is the role of culture in human experience? This concise yet solid introduction to cultural anthropology helps readers explore and understand this crucial issue from a Christian perspective. Now revised and updated throughout, this new edition of a successful textbook covers standard cultural anthropology topics with special attention given to cultural relativism, evolution, and missions. It also includes a new chapter on medical anthropology. Plentiful figures, photos, and sidebars are sprinkled throughout the text, and updated ancillary support materials and teaching aids are available through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources. Review: Good for Any Christian to Think With - Okay, normally I despise introductory textbooks. They're stale, painfully dull, don't prepare students to actually think like an anthropologist, and make people memorize a bunch of quaint people groups and concepts that were last hot in the 1950s. However, this is more readable than most (aside from the small font... I know, I sound curmudgeonly!). This one's definitely worth reading as a Christian interested in anthropology, whether or not it's for a specific class. So -- short story -- I like it and recommend it. In the sections below, I'll give you an overview of the contents and offer a few thoughts on the book as a whole. Overview: I found the intro and first chapters on the discipline of anthropology to be broad and dull, as usual, but really enjoyed the second chapter ("the concept of culture"), which helps students see a number of ways in which anthropologists think about culture. This was a great overview even for me as a graduate student in anthropology. "Language" was okay, and "social structure" had good application to American anthropology. "Gender and sexuality" may present a challenge for some of the more conservative, but is well-handled overall. Chapter 6, "Production and exchange," was fairly well done, although I'm always frustrated with how intro textbooks spend so much time overviewing the concepts of foraging, horticulture, pastoralism, and agriculture, which I've never found of any use in life or in the field. Everyone covers redistribution and reciprocity, which are useful, but I'm left wondering (as with other books) if there isn't any better way to frame technological, labor-relations, and economic concerns in modern anthropology besides a few classic frameworks in small- and large-scale production and in gift-giving and negotiation. Their discussion of "authority and power" is well-done, and "kinship and marriage" (with all those little genealogical graphs) is again par for the course. "Religion and ritual," as one might expect from religiously-situated anthropologists, has a good overview of functional and symbolic perspectives on religion, as well as pointing students to see their own experiences in rites of intensification and affliction. Chapter 10 on "globalization and culture change" is also excellent, covering how countries have ended up in unequal relationships with each other. The section on theory is well-done, and I like how they've situated it at the end of the book. This means it's at that point when students are, hopefully, wanting to learn more and go deeper, rather than at the beginning, when most students are rushing through the orientation chapters to get to the "good stuff" about sex, warfare, and exotic pictures of half-clothed equatorial peoples... ahem. Anyhow, the final section on "anthropology in action" is useful, and well-placed to encourage students forward in anthropology. Thoughts I find this book to be strong overall and certainly the best Christian textbook I've seen on anthropology. Paris and Howell's writing is engaging, they introduce and define high-level concepts (nice glossary!) and they do a good job covering the standard topics in current intro anthro texts. They also are careful to connect to American Christian students who may have concerns with anthropology, without sacrificing disciplinary rigor in their explanations. To this end, they have some interesting formatting choices, using "devotions" rather than "exercises" at the end of each chapter to help students connect their religious ideas to an anthropological understanding of the world. I also like how this book isn't meant just as a preparation for missionaries, but for Christians of all types to learn to think with. If I was teaching at a Christian college, this is certainly the text I'd be using, along with some practical excerpts from something like Thinking Like an Anthropologist . Great job, Jenell and Brian! Review: Excellent Introductory Text - I have taught Introduction to Cultural Anthropology to non-anthropology majors for four years using the first edition of this book. I am excited to begin using the second edition. The new chapter on Medical Anthropology is especially useful in framing anthropology in terms of work that even non-anthropology majors can relate to. I do miss the chapter on Globalization and Culture Change, which the authors decided to remove in favor of integrating material about globalization here and there throughout the book. But no matter, I am still going to be using this second edition of Introducing Cultural Anthropology:A Christian Perspective in all my introductory courses from now on! ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #593,537 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #280 in Christian Theological Anthropology #660 in Christian Missions & Missionary Work (Books) #1,892 in Cultural Anthropology (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 208 Reviews | ## Images ![Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71w6wFsLaVL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good for Any Christian to Think With *by C***L on March 16, 2011* Okay, normally I despise introductory textbooks. They're stale, painfully dull, don't prepare students to actually think like an anthropologist, and make people memorize a bunch of quaint people groups and concepts that were last hot in the 1950s. However, this is more readable than most (aside from the small font... I know, I sound curmudgeonly!). This one's definitely worth reading as a Christian interested in anthropology, whether or not it's for a specific class. So -- short story -- I like it and recommend it. In the sections below, I'll give you an overview of the contents and offer a few thoughts on the book as a whole. Overview: I found the intro and first chapters on the discipline of anthropology to be broad and dull, as usual, but really enjoyed the second chapter ("the concept of culture"), which helps students see a number of ways in which anthropologists think about culture. This was a great overview even for me as a graduate student in anthropology. "Language" was okay, and "social structure" had good application to American anthropology. "Gender and sexuality" may present a challenge for some of the more conservative, but is well-handled overall. Chapter 6, "Production and exchange," was fairly well done, although I'm always frustrated with how intro textbooks spend so much time overviewing the concepts of foraging, horticulture, pastoralism, and agriculture, which I've never found of any use in life or in the field. Everyone covers redistribution and reciprocity, which are useful, but I'm left wondering (as with other books) if there isn't any better way to frame technological, labor-relations, and economic concerns in modern anthropology besides a few classic frameworks in small- and large-scale production and in gift-giving and negotiation. Their discussion of "authority and power" is well-done, and "kinship and marriage" (with all those little genealogical graphs) is again par for the course. "Religion and ritual," as one might expect from religiously-situated anthropologists, has a good overview of functional and symbolic perspectives on religion, as well as pointing students to see their own experiences in rites of intensification and affliction. Chapter 10 on "globalization and culture change" is also excellent, covering how countries have ended up in unequal relationships with each other. The section on theory is well-done, and I like how they've situated it at the end of the book. This means it's at that point when students are, hopefully, wanting to learn more and go deeper, rather than at the beginning, when most students are rushing through the orientation chapters to get to the "good stuff" about sex, warfare, and exotic pictures of half-clothed equatorial peoples... ahem. Anyhow, the final section on "anthropology in action" is useful, and well-placed to encourage students forward in anthropology. Thoughts I find this book to be strong overall and certainly the best Christian textbook I've seen on anthropology. Paris and Howell's writing is engaging, they introduce and define high-level concepts (nice glossary!) and they do a good job covering the standard topics in current intro anthro texts. They also are careful to connect to American Christian students who may have concerns with anthropology, without sacrificing disciplinary rigor in their explanations. To this end, they have some interesting formatting choices, using "devotions" rather than "exercises" at the end of each chapter to help students connect their religious ideas to an anthropological understanding of the world. I also like how this book isn't meant just as a preparation for missionaries, but for Christians of all types to learn to think with. If I was teaching at a Christian college, this is certainly the text I'd be using, along with some practical excerpts from something like Thinking Like an Anthropologist . Great job, Jenell and Brian! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Introductory Text *by P***N on November 30, 2020* I have taught Introduction to Cultural Anthropology to non-anthropology majors for four years using the first edition of this book. I am excited to begin using the second edition. The new chapter on Medical Anthropology is especially useful in framing anthropology in terms of work that even non-anthropology majors can relate to. I do miss the chapter on Globalization and Culture Change, which the authors decided to remove in favor of integrating material about globalization here and there throughout the book. But no matter, I am still going to be using this second edition of Introducing Cultural Anthropology:A Christian Perspective in all my introductory courses from now on! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great introduction to anthropology, not very deep on it’s Christian perspective *by J***A on December 9, 2023* This is a great book and a must read for anyone interested in anthropology. Furthermore, anyone interested in cross cultural work should read this book. The authors do a great job introducing and describing anthropology as a field. However, the “Christian” aspect of the book is limited to a few questions to ponder. When the authors present a Christian opinion, this obviously comes from their own not too conservative perspective. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but for a more conservative audience, it may not be what they are looking for. Overall, the book is a great tool for anthropology and reflection, but it is not a particularly “Christian” perspective as much as it is an anthropological perspective written by Christian authors. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.in/products/141399161-introducing-cultural-anthropology-a-christian-perspective](https://www.desertcart.in/products/141399161-introducing-cultural-anthropology-a-christian-perspective) --- *Product available on Desertcart India* *Store origin: IN* *Last updated: 2026-10-23*