1315089041 (electronic bk.)

9781315089041 (electronic bk.)

1138684341

1629583693

9781138684348

9781629583693

"Anthropologists travel back in time and across the globe to understand human culture--but, surprise, there is culture right here in the United States. This second edition of the best-selling textbook and anthology, Reflecting on America, again focuses on how we can recognize the common cultural thread running through diverse American phenomena--from heroin addiction and Big Business's efforts to shape the identities of children, to Civil War reenactments and the popularity of burlesque in the Midwest. The volume asks such questions as, 'What draws people to Burning Man events?' and 'How can "home" be considered a political term?' Furthermore, this second edition:

- Draws together twenty-two scholars with expertise in cultural anthropology to examine what it means to be American."-- Back cover.

- Is written throughout with verve and quirky humor, offering 'Questions for discussion' after every article that make the book perfect for undergraduate classes in anthropology and American studies;

1. Introduction. Upon further reflection / Clare L. Boulanger ; 2. America

the view from across the (reflecting) pond / Clare L. Boulanger

Ecology/economy ; 3. Mickey, Nicky, and Barbie : kinderculture in America / Richard H. Robbins ; 4. Consuming ourselves to death / Richard Wilk ; 5. The button : not a simple notion / Paul Grebinger ; 6. Safety and health in the safer and healthier agriculture / Brandi Janssen

Family life and leisure ; 7. Chauffering and commuting : a story of work, family, class, and community / Lara Descartes, Conrad P. Kottak, and Autumn Kelly ; 8. Military families : the long journey home / Sarah Hautzinger and Jean Scandlyn ; 9. Every time we type goodbye : heartbreak American-style / Ilana Gershon ; 10. Striptease, leisure, and labor in the Midwestern United States / Beth Hartman

Class and power ; 11. Talk of broken borders and stone walls : anti-immigrant discourse and legislation from California to South Carolina / Ann Kingsolver ; 12. Gender, race, and class in America : home in New Haven / Micaela di Leonardo ; 13. Welcome to an East Harlem shooting gallery / Philippe Bourgois

Ritual and religion ; 14. A pilgrimage to the past : Civil War reenactors at Gettysburg / Matthew H. Amster ; 15. Memories of Burning Man / S. Megan Heller ; 16. When worlds collude : Groundhog Phil and the Super Bowl meet on Candlemas / Robert Myers ; 17. Metakinesis : how God becomes intimate in contemporary American Christianity / Tanya M. Luhrmann

Ideology ; 18. Little boys writ big : gender, economy, and The Big Bang Theory / Clare L. Boulanger ; 19. Warmaking as the American way of life / Catherine Lutz ; 20. American cultural denial : the CATs' compass / E. L. Cerroni-Long ; 21. Living up to our words / Paul Durrenberger

About the contributors

Anthropology > United States > History.

Anthropology > United States > Philosophy.

Ethnology > United States > Philosophy.

United States > Civilization > 1945-

United States > Ethnic relations.