This comprehensive anthology presents 34 readings that are critical to an understanding of anthropological theory and the development of anthropology as an academic discipline. The readings have broad anthropological appeal, emphasizing cultural anthropology in the North American and European traditions.

Thematic coverage begins with nineteenth-century foundations and forerunners, before moving on to the early and mid-twentieth century when anthropology comes of age. The last section looks at numerous late twentieth-century and early twenty-first-century developments in anthropological theory, including feminist anthropology, postmodernity, medical anthropology, and globalization.