Each chapter is structured around an important question about the field to explore what it means to be human, incorporating answers from all four major subfields of anthropology--biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and cultural anthropology.
Starting with anthropology's foundations in the late nineteenth century, Stanley R. Barrett brings the reader up to date on such topics as the influence of postmodern and feminist criticism, changes in ethnographic style, and the shift from scientific to humanistic discourse. He discusses the power relationships between anthropologists and their subjects, from the era of colonialism through that of contemporary cultural pluralism.