Tao of Anthropology

At the core of an anthropologist's work is a willingness to explore societal structures, understand cultures within the context of environment, and communicate this knowledge to a wider audience. This collection of essays features senior professionals in the field sharing their personal stories and insights for the benefit of today's students.Anthropology's broad scope includes the study of culture and human biology. The essays in this collection feature the work of specialists from each of these domains who also share their personal stories and insights for the benefit of today's students. In anthropology's history, one dominant approach is often replaced by another. This can result in the loss of useful concepts, ideas, perspectives, and theories that may vanish entirely or at least take time to be rediscovered. ""The Tao of Anthropology"" attempts to bridge the divide in part by sharing the life and work of anthropologists, examining the differences between fieldwork then and now, and revealing anthropological perspectives across a range of important subdisciplines.Each essay in this collection is written by an anthropologist in or nearing retirement. After a brief introductory statement about what drew them to the field, the contributors go on to share important lessons learned over the course of their careers. The result is a unique volume in the social sciences, one that provides insight and stories from experienced professionals and has the ability to be a source of guidance to a new generation of scholars.

Jack Kelso, professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Colorado, is coauthor of Physical Anthropology.