Written by the author of "The Guru of Cultural Materialism", this revised text unites seemingly unrelated topics. Harris uses everyday applications of anthropological theories and issues in a user-friendly way. Two new chapters - one on race, ethnicity, and racism; and the other on human sexuality - discuss new research and developments in these areas. This text also demonstrates the relevance of cultural anthropology to contemporary social problems. Updated and expanded chapter previews and new cartoons, jokes and illustrations are featured. Two new full-colour photo essays assist students' visual understanding of cultural diversity.

• The branches of anthropology
• the nature of culture
• genes, evolution, and culture
• language and culture
• production
• reproduction
• human sexuality
• economic organization
• domestic life
• descent, locality, and kinship
• law, order, and war in nonstate societies
• origins and anatomy of the state
• class and caste
• ethnicity, race, and racism
• gender hierarchies
• psychological anthropology
• religion
• art
• applied anthropology. Appendix: A history of theories of culture.