Drawing on the authors' fieldwork experience, this text explores how cultural creativity, human agency, and the material conditions of everyday life interact to shape cultural practices. Discussions of ongoing controversies - including tribalism vs. globalization and increasing inequality between "have" and "have not" regions - show how cultural anthropologists can tackle the world's most pressing social problems through their specialized knowledge and skills.

Emily Schultz is the author of the novel Joyland and the short story collection Black Coffee Night. She is the former editor of This Magazine. Her poetry has been published in 18 different publications across Canada, including The Walrus. The Globe and Mail recently called her fiction “mesmerizing.” Schultz lives in Toronto.

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From the Third Canadian Edition:

"Robin Dods has done a fantastic job in showing the great variety of research being done by Canadian anthropologists and anthropologists at Canadian universities. . . . The explanations of cultural practices are robust and nuanced, the structure / agency balance is good, and there is substantial contemporary material." --Pamela Stern, Simon Fraser University

"This is a visually rich textbook that covers a wide range of classical and contemporary material effectively, emphasizing Canadian experiences." --Sara Shneiderman, University of British Columbia

"This is a balanced, comprehensive text that introduces students to cultural anthropology. It provides good grounding in the Canadian experience." --Marty Zelenietz, Saint Mary's University