The Sociological Review Monographs 65/1

Reconfiguring the Anthropology of Britain: Ethnographic, Theoretical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives

This monograph challenges and disrupts traditional notions of the anthropology of Britain as simply the practice of social anthropology ‘at home’ by illuminating the ways in which this area of inquiry is outward looking in terms of its inter-disciplinary scope, theoretical, philosophical and social policy perspectives and concerns. Crucial to this endeavour is an exploration of the ways in which the ethnographic study of Britain contributes to substantive issues and theoretical concerns that are central not only to anthropology as a wider discipline, but also more broadly to sociological inquiry. We take as our focus of inquiry substantive and theoretical issues that are of crucial concern to sociologists, including the readers of The Sociological Review, namely: questions of nationhood, postcolonialism, racialised difference, place, migration, social class, post-industrialism, education, personhood, the environment and more-than-human interactions. We explore how sociological understandings of these issues become broadened, enriched and deepened theoretically and conceptually by turning anthropological perspectives and finely grained, ethnographic research onto these topics. This monograph will not only affect the ways in which sociologists think about the potential contribution of the anthropology of Britain to their empirical and theoretical concerns, but will also impact upon how anthropology thinks about itself and its relationship to other disciplines. The monograph includes chapters by a new generation of social anthropologists, as well as reflective, shorter, commentary from anthropologists whose work was responsible for creating and consolidating the anthropology of Britain.