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Title: Cows, Pigs, Wars & Witches: The Riddles of Culture by Marvin Harris ISBN: 0-679-72468-0 Publisher: Vintage Books USA Pub. Date: 01 December, 1989 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.55 (20 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: AP World Analysis
Comment: When I first read the back of the book, Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches: The Riddles of Culture by Marvin Harris I became very intrigued. It described the book as a source of answers to some of the world's culturally most intriguing and perplexing questions. Most of which are taboos, including why Hindus worship cows, and why "witches" flew to sabbats on broomsticks. There are many anthropological books on the market these days, but this is one of the only ones that even moderately tries to explain these instances. I believe that Harris' intention in writing this book was to not just give his opinion on these strange taboos were established, but to make the statement that the most extreme taboos do have a logical background. I also believe Harris tried to establish that one taboo may lead to another. For instance, he believes that in order to explain one taboo, he may have to explain two or three others, in order to prove the logic behind the one. Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches: The Riddles of Culture is one of the only books that tries to explain why men behave the way they do. Harris covers multiple taboos including the belief of why some cultures refuse to eat pork, and even stretch the limits by concluding why people believe in the religions they do. All of these cultural taboos, and more are introduced and thoroughly explained in this great book.
Basically the whole idea of this book describes cultural taboos. For instance, every culture, whether it is in India or Africa or anywhere in the world, they all experience strange ideas or the unthinkable occurs (taboo). No culture would be considered normal if these did not occur. Harris starts by explaining what the taboo is and where it is from. Then he explains why certain people believe in these, and then clarifies the logic behind it. The great thing about this novel is that each of the taboos Harris mentions are from different areas and is more like a book you would read in world history. In this novel, Harris covers over ten different taboos, all of which are very interesting. To write a book with so much information, one must spend months, maybe even years becoming familiar with the cultures that are described in such a book. One man cannot study or even write about every culture in the world, so Harris used many other references. The majority of these references used were from other sociologists and anthropologists' studies, and books produced by them. Also, Harris used much of his own work from previous expeditions and journals he had written several years ago. Harris does know what he is talking about but there is still so much to cover in the study of cultures, that one person alone could not possibly study it all through his or her lifetime. The reference and acknowledgement pages are filled to the brim with contributions from over one hundred and ten established sources. There is beyond the shadow of a doubt that in my mind Harris could not have written this book without the help from these
references. He is an incredibly reputable writer, but the information is just too tough to handle alone. This book is like no other book I have ever had the privilege to read. The vivid descriptions and amazing studies of these culture enlighten the open-minded reader that men really do think alike, no matter where you are from. The book was written very well, but some parts became extremely confusing. This novel was written and explained very well, but the descriptions of specific taboos sometimes were discussed at the same time and became somewhat confusing, throughout the book. Also, there were parts of the book that were really slow. You have to really be interested with the study of humans; otherwise this novel may seem boring. Harris persuaded me in the fact that people do behave very much alike no matter what your background may be. He also seemed to put across the point that the craziest taboos known to man most of the time have a sturdy and logical backbone. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in anthropology, sociology, and/or the study of cultures. However, I do advise readers to check it out but be cautious. Harris tends to overlap his theories and facts on specific taboos in different chapters.
Rating: 4
Summary: Slaying the Sacred Cows
Comment: First published in 1973, Marvin Harris' book suffers slightly from time lag (it closes with a refutation of the now-defunct counterculture movement), but is otherwise wholly engaging and undeniably fascinating. Tackling the "Most Wanted List" of anthropology's mysteries, Harris plunges in by explaining the practical socio-economic origins of the cliched "sacred cows" of India, then keeps on going through the reasons for religious dietary restrictions and on into the relationship between secular pressures, leaders and the many faces of messianism from the Middle East to the Middle Ages. His explanations are meticulously constructed, eminently reasonable and provide fuel for many a debate.
Written in an open and accessible style, COWS, PIGS, WARS & WITCHES is aimed toward the academic community, but doesn't read that way at all. Though it references classic anthropological works such as Ruth Benedict's PATTERNS OF CULTURE, the book is careful to seed the rest of the text with explanation, thus keeping the more scholarly aspects of the work from alienating readers from the "outside" and deep-sixing the book's readability.
In short, Harris' book is a solid addition to any reader's library, provided his unflinching analysis of some of the more common "sacred cows" doesn't offend.
Rating: 5
Summary: Nature,Nurture and Culture
Comment: After reading "Cannibals and Kings", I couldn't wait to read Harris' earlier "Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches". I was not disappointed. Both books are exciting and stimulating reading. The clarity and logic propel you forward until you must accept the premises. Harris shows that what seem like strange, even repugnant cultural adaptations are very logical, once you understand the circumstances that gave rise to them. More important, he contends that while things like war do show up in most human societies, they are part of culture rather than of human nature. He points out that war, in valuing the warrior, encourages the whole complex of male supremicist behaviors, including female infanticide. We can find other ways in our modern world to control population and increase production.
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Title: Cannibals and Kings: The Origins of Cultures by Marvin Harris ISBN: 067972849X Publisher: Vintage Books USA Pub. Date: 01 June, 1991 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Our Kind : Who We Are, Where We Came From, Where We Are Going by Marvin Harris ISBN: 0060919906 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 26 September, 1990 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Why Nothing Works : The Anthropology of Daily Life (Original Title America Now the Anthropology of a Changing Culture) by Marvin Harris ISBN: 0671635778 Publisher: Touchstone Pub. Date: 15 January, 1987 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Cultural Materialism: The Struggle for a Science of Culture by Marvin Harris, Allen Johnson, Orna Johnson ISBN: 0759101353 Publisher: Altamira Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: Good to Eat: Riddles of Food and Culture by Marvin Harris ISBN: 1577660153 Publisher: Waveland Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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