An anthropological toolkit : sixty useful concepts / David Zeitlyn.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Presenting 60 theoretical ideas, David Zeitlyn argues 'How to write about anthropological theory without making a specific theoretical argument.' "David Zeitlyn has written a wryly engaging, short book on, essentially, why we should not become theoretical partisans-that, indeed, being a serious theorist means accepting precisely that principle."-Michael Herzfeld, Harvard University To answer, he gives a series of mini essays about an eclectic collection of theoretical concepts that over many years he has found helpful. The book celebrates the muddled inconsistencies in the ways that humans live their messy lives. However, for all the mess, there are patterns discernable: the actors can understand what is going on, they see an event unfolding in ways that are familiar, as belonging to a certain type and therefore, Zeitlyn suggests, so can researchers"-- Provided by publisher.