It is common to think of the Arctic as remote, perched at the farthest reaches of the world – a simple and harmonious, isolated utopia. But the reality, as Janne Flora shows us, is anything but. In "Wandering Spirits", Flora reveals how deeply connec...

This splendid illustrated exploration of masks and masking ceremonies from the Democratic Republic of the Congo presents more than 130 outstanding wooden masks dating from the 18th to the 20th century. Visually stunning and spiritually charged, these...

In this history of fishing – not as sport but as sustenance – archaeologist and best-selling author Brian Fagan argues that fishing was an indispensable and often overlooked element in the growth of civilization. It sustainably provided enough food t...

Despite declining stocks worldwide and increasing health risks, artisanal whaling remains a cultural practice tied to nature's rhythms. "The Wake of the Whale" presents the art, history, and challenge of whaling in the Caribbean and North Atlantic, b...

With its infamously packed cars and disciplined commuters, Tokyo's commuter train network is one of the most complex technical infrastructures on Earth. In "An Anthropology of the Machine", Michael Fisch provides a nuanced perspective on how Tokyo's...

The history of contacts between India and Europe tends to be dominated by the British, but Denmark also played a role on the subcontinent in the colonial era. This book offers insight into that history via a close look at one very specific part of it...

This bilingual collection shares new translations of old stories recorded over the last four decades though interviews with Yup'ik elders from throughout southwest Alaska. Some are true qulirat (traditional tales), while others are recent. Some are w...

Revenge is a primal force at the heart of conflict and justice, as ancient as humanity itself. It persists in all societies and we are fascinated by it, as countless novels, dramas, films and computer games attest. "Getting even" can restore the bala...

As policing has recently become a major topic of public debate, it was also a growing area of ethnographic research".Writing the World of Policing" brings together an international roster of scholars who have conducted fieldwork studies of law enforc...

For sale in CIS only! "This book is about a story (Ousmane Sembene's Xala), about a time (the aftermath of Senegalese Independence), and about a place (Dakar, the capital of Senegal). It's also about the collaboration between an artist and an anthro...