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An Introduction to Holistic Anthropology
John Forrest (Author), Badger Forrest-Blincoe (Author)
9781394265992, Wiley
Paperback / softback, published 5 March 2026
272 pages
25.2 x 17.8 x 2 cm, 0.386 kg
Combines anthropology’s four subfields to explore what it means to be human Introduction to Holistic Anthropology invites students to rediscover anthropology as Franz Boas once envisioned it — a unified discipline that integrates biological, historical, linguistic, and cultural perspectives to understand human diversity and commonality. In contrast to the fragmented state of the field today, where sub-disciplines often operate in isolation, this innovative textbook emphasizes a holistic approach that encourages readers to see the connections between different aspects of human life. John Forrest and Badger Forrest-Blincoe confront the challenge of making sense of anthropology’s “post-everything” landscape by shifting the focus from what anthropology is not to what it can be: a rigorous, integrative inquiry into the many dimensions of human existence. Drawing on decades of combined teaching and research experience across six continents, the authors explore anthropology’s enduring questions about human nature, cultural variation, and the interplay of biology and learning. This book challenges students to consider how anthropologists build knowledge, where disagreements arise, and how the very foundations of the discipline can be contested and conceptualized. Offering an accessible yet comprehensive framework that prompts learners to think across disciplinary boundaries, Introduction to Holistic Anthropology: Introduction to Holistic Anthropology is designed for undergraduate students in introductory anthropology courses, particularly at the first- and second-year level. Suitable for degrees in anthropology, sociology, history, and global studies, it provides a solid foundation for understanding human cultures and diversity.
List of Illustrations xi List of Tables xiv About the Authors xv About the Companion Website xix Introduction 1 1 Anthropologies 3 Definitions 3 Franz Boas 5 Boas and Holism 6 Academic Disciplines 8 Holistic Anthropology 9 2 Human Diversity 12 Genetic Inheritance: The Passing of Genes from One Generation to the Next 15 Epigenetic Inheritance: The Process of External Factors Causing Heritable Genetic Changes in the Successive Generation of Organisms 16 Behavioral Inheritance: The Transfer of Behavioral Actions and Knowledge to Successive Generations 16 Symbolic Inheritance: The Passing Down of Symbols, Beliefs, and Worldviews Between Generations 16 Human Biological Evolution 17 Human Genetics 17 Biological Variation 20 Linguistic Variation 23 Technological Variation 24 Cultural Universals 25 Conclusion 28 3 Worldviews and Narratives 29 Definitions 29 Sentience and Ideology 32 Narratives and Worldview 34 Visual Narratives 36 Landscapes and Worldview 39 Anthropological Worldview Narratives 40 Change in Worldview 43 4 The Human Body 44 Definitions of the Body 44 Types of Bodies 46 Anatomy and Physiology 46 Bodily Vulnerabilities 47 Disability 50 Metaphorical Bodies 51 Embodiment 52 Performance Theory: Bodies and Identity 52 Phenomenology and Embodiment 53 Bioarcheological and Paleoanthropological Data 54 Body Modification and Adornments 56 Non- verbal Communication 57 Non- human Primates 57 Human Non- verbal Communication and Gesture 58 Conclusion: The Three Body Problem 59 5 Domestication of Plants and Animals 60 Foraging 60 Domestication 64 6 Nutrition 77 Digestion 77 Food Choices and Taboos 78 Food as a Social Object 82 Table Manners 83 The Language of Food and Taste 84 Food and Rituals 85 The Archeology of Food 86 Conclusion 86 7 Health and Healing 88 Sickness 88 Causes of Illness 90 Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Medicine 90 Ayurveda 92 Traditional Chinese Medicine 92 Other Traditional Medicines 94 Social Care 95 Herbal Remedies 96 The Body’s Defenses 97 Healing Words 99 Archeology of Medicine 100 Public Health 103 Conclusion 103 8 Technology, Cognition, and Perception 105 Tools 105 Human Evolution 106 Stone, Bronze, and Beyond 110 Humans and Technology 114 Conclusion 117 9 Art and Aesthetics 118 Art vs Aesthetics 118 The Sensorium 119 Colors 121 Senses and Sense Organs 123 Genres 125 Play 128 Conclusion 129 10 Communities 130 Community 130 Primate Sociability 130 Family 132 Archeology and Kinship 135 Households 136 Incest and Marriage 136 Language and Kinship 137 Socio- political Organization 138 Mobility 141 Nations 141 Sense of Community 141 Transnational Communities 142 Speech Communities 144 Conclusion 144 11 Migration 145 Migration Today 145 Globalization 146 Labor Migration 147 Displaced Peoples/Refugees 148 Prehistoric Migrations 149 Holocene and Neolithic 150 Proto- historical and Early Historical Migration 154 Forced Migration 156 A Time of Empire 157 Voyages of Exploration 159 Colonialism, Industrialism, and Beyond 160 Conclusion 162 12 Religion (and Magic and Science) 163 Early Evidence of Religious Thought 164 Magic 165 Religion 167 Science 169 Divination 169 Astrology 171 Liminality 172 Religious Language 174 Religion and Ethics 175 Conclusion: Religion Today 177 13 Race and Ethnicity 178 Race and Racism 179 Ethnicity 187 Material Culture, Archeology, and Ethnicity 188 Language Varieties and Ethnicity 189 Conclusion 190 14 Sex, Gender, and Sexuality 191 Sex 191 Gender 193 Love and Attraction 197 Sexuality 198 Conclusion 200 15 Conflict and Death 201 Don’t Push Me ‘Cuz I’m Close to the Edge 201 Fighting for Entertainment 202 Language 202 Pre- Fight Rituals 203 Rules of Engagement 204 Weapons 205 Fighting Techniques 205 Death 206 Rituals of Death 207 The Dead Body 208 16 Cooperation and Exchange 211 The Social Animal 211 Cooperation 213 Exchange and Reciprocity 216 Concluding Thoughts 225 References 227 Index 245
Subject Areas: Archaeology [HD]
