Culture As Given, Culture As Choice

This creatively written introductory work is full of insights about how humanity's defining adaptation has evolved and functions. What makes van der Elst's approach uniquely engaging is his focus on the implications of technology, the ways humans organize themselves, and value assumptions for individuals' life chances and choices. He confronts readers with the need to question their enculturated biases, instills appreciation of the origins of culture in biology and language, and explains such topics as the varieties of family and marriage types and the rise of inequality. Extending the thrust of the popular first edition, this totally revised second edition includes: 1) highlighted, entertaining vignettes that serve as germane examples; 2) an expanded treatment of language; 3) end-of-chapter questions for reflection and discussion; and 4) a new chapter that demystifies kinship nomenclature.