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 .
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN-13
9781138282643
eBay Product ID (ePID)
226483731
Product Key Features
Author
Adam Kuper
Publication Name
The Reinvention of Primitive Society: Transformations of a Myth
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Subject
Sociology, Anthropology
Publication Year
2017
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
224 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
234mm
Item Width
156mm
Item Weight
454g
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
Adam Kuper
Series Title
Routledge Classic Texts in Anthropology
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom
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