Critical Comparisons in Politics and Culture

by John Bowen, Roger Petersen

Overview

Leading anthropologists and political scientists are brought together in this volume to debate the problem of comparison, taking up a variety of topics from nationalist violence and labor strikes to ritual forms and religious practices. The contributors criticize conventional forms of comparative method, and introduce new comparative strategies, ranging from abstract model building to ethnographically based methods. They represent a wide variety of theoretical positions, from rational choice theory to interpretivism, and the issues are clarified in the cut and thrust of debate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521653794
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/07/1999
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	278
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.63(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction John R. Bowen and Roger Petersen; 2. National revivals and violence David D. Laitin; 3. Mechanisms and structures in comparison Roger Peterson; 4. Comparative methodologies in the analysis of anthropological data Fredrik Barth; 5. The role of comparison in light of the theory of culture Greg Urban; 6. Case studies in contemporary job loss Miriam A. Golden; 7. Defining the contours of an Islamic reform movement John Bowen; 8. Producing an analytic narrative Margaret Levi; 9. Political consciousness on Boa Ventura Allen Johnson; 10. Comparisons in the context of a game theoretic argument Barbara Geddes; 11. The role of microhistories in comparative studies John Bowen.