At the heart of today's fierce political anger over income inequality is a feature of capitalism that Karl Marx famously obsessed over: the commodification of labor. Most of us think wage-labor economics is at odds with socialist thinking, but as Mar...

A riveting look at how the early modern world revolutionized sleep and its relation to body, mind, soul, and society Drawing on diverse archival sources and material artifacts, Handley reveals that the way we sleep is as dependent on culture as it is...

Whether it's childhood make-believe, the theater, sports, or even market speculation, play is one of humanity's seemingly purest activities: a form of entertainment and leisure and a chance to explore the world and its possibilities in an imagined en...

The number of ways in which humans interact with animals is almost incalculable. From beloved household pets to the steak on our dinner tables, the fur in our closets to the Babar books on our shelves, taxidermy exhibits to local zoos, humans have co...

Uncovering strange plots by early British anthropologists to use scientific status to manipulate the stock market, "Anthropologists in the Stock Exchange" tells a provocative story that marries the birth of the social sciences with the exploits of gl...

Few scholars have had a more varied career than Sally Falk Moore. Once a lawyer for an elite New York law firm, her career has led her to the Nuremberg trials where she prepared cases against major industrialists, to Harvard, to the Spanish archives...

If any anthropologist living today can illuminate our dim understanding of death's enigma, it is Robert Desjarlais. With "Subject to Death", Desjarlais provides an intimate, philosophical account of death and mourning practices among Hyolmo Buddhists...

All over the world, salmon populations are in trouble, as overfishing and habitat loss have combined to put the once-great Atlantic and Pacific Northwest runs at serious risk. Alaska, however, stands out as a rare success story: its salmon population...

Scan down a list of essential works in any introduction to anthropology course and you are likely to see Marcel Mauss' masterpiece, The Gift. With this new translation, Mauss' classic essay is returned to its original context, published alongside the...

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the world reacted with shock on seeing residents of this distinctive city left abandoned to the floodwaters. After the last rescue was completed, a new worry arose – that New Orleans's unique historic fabric...