With the awareness that anthropology - the study of humanity and its culture - is deeply rooted in Western experience, this concise introduction to the specific subject begins with antiquity, featuring authors such as Herodotus and Aristotle, continues through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and reaches the 19th century, when anthropological thought acquires a more specific and systematic form.

However, the book mainly focuses on the 20th century, covering all major currents of American, British, and French anthropological tradition. It also includes chapters on the theory of archaeology, physical anthropology, and cultural anthropology.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]