
Amazon Town
A Study of Human Life in the Tropics
Oxford University Press Inc
2nd Edition
Published on 9. January 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
344 pages
978-0-19-933525-1 (ISBN)
Description
Charles Wagley (1913-1991) was an American anthropologist specializing in rural Latin America. His principal focus was Brazil, where he is considered one of the founders of contemporary Brazilian Anthropology. He made major contributions to the concept of cultural areas for Latin America (including a typology of subcultures for the region) and to the notion that race was a cultural construct. He conducted extensive research in the Amazon among indigenous and peasant peoples. Out of the latter came his classic description of peasant life (e.g. rubber tappers) in the Amazon- Amazon Town. Co-authors Conrad Kottak and Richard Pace have revised and updated Charles Wagley's Amazon Town to coincide with Wagley's 100th birthday in late 2013. Revisions include a new foreword by Conrad Kottak, and a new preface and chapter by Richard Pace.
Reviews / Votes
"I very much appreciate Wagley's masterful, ethnographic treatment of his subject matter. He writes engrossing prose and conveys a wealth of information to the reader in the process...I value what he accomplished within the parameters of Anthropology in his own era of research. I also like the fact that he was willing to tackle the difficult issues of development and to open areas of further research, which concern quality of life in relation to technologicalchange...I would recommend Amazon Town to colleagues as occupying an important place in the anthropological literature on Brazil, and as useful in more than one course..." Leslie Straub, Providence
College
"Wagley's text is a classic ethnography written from a humanistic perspective, as he himself states in the preface. As such, Wagley successfully links much of what he describes in Gurupa to broader practices in Brazil, Latin America, rural environments, and, indeed, the human condition. Thick with description and detail, he deftly weaves the particular into the whole and back again. Of special note is the clarity and directness of his writing style."
Rosana Resende, University of Florida
"This book is a fundamental reading for any course on the Amazon and its people...It gives remarkable understanding of people and environment in the Amazon. Few people can write as clearly and brilliantly as Wagley. It is like reading a novel, but rich in data and understanding...I have always sent everyone to this book first when they show interest in the Amazon." Emilio Moran, Michigan State University
More details
Edition
2nd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Edition type
Revised edition
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
419 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-933525-1 (9780199335251)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Charles Wagley (1913-1991) was an American anthropologist specializing in rural Latin America. Richard Pace, a Professor of Anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University, studied with Wagley at Florida. Conrad Kottak is the Julian H. Steward Collegiate Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Michigan and Chair of Section 51, Anthropology at the National Academy of Sciences.
Author
Julian H. Steward Collegiate Professor EmeritusJulian H. Steward Collegiate Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan, Johns Island, SC, USA
Professor of AnthropologyProfessor of Anthropology, Middle Tennessee State University, Rockvale, TN, USA
Content
Foreword by Conrad Kottak ; Preface to the 2013 Edition ; Preface to the 1976 Edition ; Preface ; Chapter ; I. The Problem of Humanity in the Tropics ; II. An Amazon Community ; III. Making a Living in the Tropics ; IV. Social Relations in an Amazon Community ; V. Family Affairs in an Amazon Community ; VI. People Also Play ; VII. From Magic to Science ; VIII. A Community in an Underdeveloped Area: The Struggle for Liberation and Sustainable Development ; References ; Index