01 / Classic Textbook Recommendation
Classic Textbook Recommendation
Citation
Marcus, G. E., & Fischer, M. M. J. (1986). Anthropology as Cultural Critique: An Experimental Moment in the Human Sciences. University of Chicago Press.
Why it belongs
The book asks what anthropology can reveal about its own society when it takes other forms of life seriously. It broadens methodological discussion beyond data collection to include genre, comparison, and critique.
Core coverage
Use it to examine how anthropologists construct cultural difference, how experimental forms change interpretation, and how social science can question its own assumptions.
Selection note
MIT’s Anthropological Theory course includes this work among its readings: MIT OCW anthropological theory readings.