Blackwell Reference Online

The late twentieth century, which witnessed the rapid acceleration of globalizing processes, resulted in dramatic changes to the ways in which individuals experience emerging or dissolving cultural communities. It is therefore a critical time to highlight the work of psychocultural anthropology: an area of anthropology that focuses on cultural, psychological, and social interrelations at all levels and across cultures. A Companion to Psychological Anthropology is a groundbreaking resource that brings together original essays by leading scholars and provides the first definitive overview of this fascinating field.

The Companion offers an in-depth exploration of the concepts and topics that have emerged through contemporary ethnographic work and the processes of global change. Key issues range from studies of consciousness and time, emotion, cognition, dreaming, and memory, to the lingering effects of racism and ethnocentrism, violence, identity, and subjectivity. An essential resource for teachers and students alike, A Companion to Psychological Anthropology also serves as a valuable tool for scholars, policy makers, and social service providers who want to understand and anticipate changing relations among individuals and cultures.