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The Anthropology of Friendship
Contributor(s): Bell, Sandra (Editor), Coleman, Simon (Editor)

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 ISBN: 1859733107     ISBN-13: 9781859733103
Publisher: Routledge
OUR PRICE: $171.00  

Binding Type: Hardcover - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: December 1999
Qty:
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Anthropology - Cultural & Social
Dewey: 302.34
Physical Information: 0.6" H x 6.04" W x 9.44" L (0.91 lbs) 224 pages
Themes:
- Topical - Friendship
Features: Bibliography, Dust Cover, Index
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Friendship is usually seen as a vital part of most people's lives in the West. From our friends, we hope to derive emotional support, advice and material help in times of need. In this pioneering book, basic assumptions about friendship are examined from a cross-cultural point of view. Is friendship only a western conception or is it possible to identify friends in such places as Papua New Guinea, Kenya, China, and Brazil? In seeking to answer this question, contributors also explore what friendship means closer to home, from the bar to the office, and address the following: * Are friendships voluntary?* Should friends be distinguished sharply from relatives?* Do work and friendship mix?* Does friendship support or subvert the social order?* How is friendship shaped by the nature of the person, gender, and the relationship between private and public life?* How is friendship affected when morality is compromised by self-interest?This book represents one of the few major attempts to deal with friendship from a comparative perspective. In achieving this aim, it demonstrates the culture-bound nature of many assumptions concerning one of the most basic building-blocks of western social relationships. More importantly, it signposts the future of social relations in many parts of the world, where older social bonds based on kinship or proximity are being challenged by flexible ties forged when people move within local, national and increasingly global networks of social relations

Contributor Bio(s): Bell, Sandra: - Edited by Sandra Bell, University of Durham.Coleman, Simon: - Simon Coleman is Professor of Anthropology, University of Sussex.
 
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