The Reinvention of Primitive Society : Transformations of a Myth Hardback
by Adam (London School of Economics and Political Science, UK) Kuper
Part of the Routledge Classic Texts in Anthropology series
Hardback
Description
Adam Kuper’s iconoclastic intellectual history argues that the idea of “primitive society” is a western myth.
The “primitive” is imagined as the opposite of the “civilised”.
But this is a protean myth. As ideas about civilisation change, so the image of primitive society must be adjusted.
By way of fascinating account of classic texts in anthropology, ancient history and law, Kuper reveals how this myth underpinned academic research and inspired political programmes.
Its ancestry is traced back to classical western beliefs about barbarians and savages, and Kuper also tackles the latest version of the myth, the idea of a global identity of “indigenous peoples”.
The Reinvention of Primitive Society is a key text in the history of anthropology, and will interest anyone who has puzzled about the very idea of “primitive society” – and so, by implication, about “civilisation”.
Information
-
Only a few left - usually despatched within 24 hours
- Format:Hardback
- Pages:236 pages, 2 Tables, black and white
- Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication Date:14/02/2017
- Category:
- ISBN:9781138282643
Information
-
Only a few left - usually despatched within 24 hours
- Format:Hardback
- Pages:236 pages, 2 Tables, black and white
- Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication Date:14/02/2017
- Category:
- ISBN:9781138282643
