Perspectives: An Open Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Edited by Nina Brown, Thomas McIlwraith, and Laura Tubelle de González.

Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges/American Anthropological Association, 2017.

Perspectives is an open access, peer-reviewed cultural anthropology textbook aimed at first year students in universities and colleges. Produced by an editorial team associated with the Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges, part of the American Anthropological Association, Perspectives offers nineteen chapters covering conventional and novel topics in cultural anthropology. Twenty-five authors from Canada and the United States wrote for the book and the work of peer-review fell to twenty-two people. Each chapter is available in pdf and epub formats and we expect that instructors will use chapters that support their existing teaching strategies and curricula. Ancillary resources include interviews with Philippe Bourgois, Fredrik Barth, and Carolyn Nordstrom and a copy of an address, “Can Anthropology Save the World?, by Nancy Scheper-Hughes. A series of short videos in which Robert Borofsky lectures on first year anthropological topics is also available. Perspectives reflects the shared conclusion of SACC, the authors, and editors that open access publishing is one way to engage a new generation of students. We also hope that Perspectives can bring anthropology to a broader audience of students and general readers outside of our classes.

Freely available online at: http://perspectives.americananthro.org/