Handbook of Political Anthropology

Elgar Handbooks in Political Science

Edited by Harald Wydra, Holden Fellow in Politics, St Catharine's College, University of Cambridge, UK and Bjørn Thomassen, Professor, Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University, Denmark

This Handbook engages the reader in the major debates, approaches, methodologies, and explanatory frames within political anthropology. Examining the shifting borders of a moving field of enquiry, it illustrates disciplinary paradigm shifts, the role of humans in political structures, ethnographies of the political, and global processes. Reflecting the variety of directions that surround political anthropology today, this volume will be essential reading to understanding the interactions of humans within political frames in a globalising world.

‘This wide-ranging collection challenges disciplinary boundaries to demonstrate the relevance of political anthropology to both old and new audiences. It offers refreshing takes on core anthropological themes and links classical theory to the quintessential questions of political life today in a compelling manner useful to diverse scholars, students, and practitioners.’
– Sara Shneiderman, University of British Columbia, Canada