Social and cultural anthropology has made many important contributions to modern thought: through its investigation of culture as a distinctively human characteristic; its doctrine of cultural relativism; and its methodology of fieldwork and ethnography. This Very Short Introduction explores the fundamental concepts of the field and its methods, as well as its relevance to contemporary life. Throughout, Peter Just and John Monaghan ground their discussion in concrete examples drawn from their own field experiences in Mexico and Indonesia. This new edition also considers some of the developments of the new generation of social and cultural anthropologists. It explores the 'cultural construction' of social categories, in particular of gender, as well as discussing recent work on migration and the development of 'ontological anthropology.'ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introduction series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.