The Anthropology of Pre-Capitalist Societies

Abstract

The contemporary world projects a perplexing picture of political, social and economic upheaval.In these challenging times the conventional wisdoms of orthodox social thought whether it be sociology, economics or cultural studies become inadequate.This series focuses on this intellectual crisis, selecting authors whose work seeks to transcend the limitations of conventional discourse.Its tone is scholarly rather than polemical, in the belief that signiflcant theoretical work is needed to c1ear the way for a genuine transformation ofthe existing social order.Because of this, the series will relate c10sely to recent developments in social thought, particularly to critical theory -the emerging European tradition.In terms of speciflc topics, key pivotal areas of debate will be selected -for example, mass culture, inflation, problems ofsexuality and the family, the nature ofthe capitalist state, natural science and ideology.The scope of analysis will be broad: the series will attempt to break the existing arbitrary divisions between the social studies disciplines.Its aim is to provide a platform for critical social thought (at a level quite accessible to students) to enter into the major theoretical controversies ofthe day.