{"title":"Chaos, Complexity, and a Revitalization of Four-Field Anthropology?","authors":"Andrew A. White","doi":"10.1080/00938157.2015.1078702","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Four-field anthropology has always struggled with the problem of how to holistically study human cultural systems that are the products of environment, process, and history. Complexity science offers a set of tools calibrated to the analysis of complex systems like those of human societies, and has the potential to allow us to scientifically understand how history and process affect the physical, cultural, and linguistic components that are entangled in the whole of human societies. Application of complexity science to anthropological problems thus far has favored engagement on a conceptual level rather than one that harnesses the full power of the approach.","PeriodicalId":43734,"journal":{"name":"Reviews in Anthropology","volume":"44 1","pages":"142 - 160"},"PeriodicalIF":0.2000,"publicationDate":"2015-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00938157.2015.1078702","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Reviews in Anthropology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00938157.2015.1078702","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"ANTHROPOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
Four-field anthropology has always struggled with the problem of how to holistically study human cultural systems that are the products of environment, process, and history. Complexity science offers a set of tools calibrated to the analysis of complex systems like those of human societies, and has the potential to allow us to scientifically understand how history and process affect the physical, cultural, and linguistic components that are entangled in the whole of human societies. Application of complexity science to anthropological problems thus far has favored engagement on a conceptual level rather than one that harnesses the full power of the approach.
期刊介绍:
Reviews in Anthropology is the only anthropological journal devoted to lengthy, in-depth review commentary on recently published books. Titles are largely drawn from the professional literature of anthropology, covering the entire range of work inclusive of all sub-disciplines, including biological, cultural, archaeological, and linguistic anthropology; a smaller number of books is selected from related disciplines. Articles evaluate the place of new books in their theoretical and topical literatures, assess their contributions to anthropology as a whole, and appraise the current state of knowledge in the field. The highly diverse subject matter sustains both specialized research and the generalist tradition of holistic anthropology.