Reflecting on America: Anthropological Views of U.S. Culture

Anthropologists travel back in time and across the globe to understand human culture but, surprise, there is culture right here in the United States. This second edition of the best-selling textbook and anthology, Reflecting on America, again focuses on how we can recognize the common cultural thread running through diverse American phenomena from heroin addiction and Big Business‘s efforts to shape the identities of children, to Civil War reenactments and the popularity of burlesque in the Midwest. In addition, this second edition includes chapters written especially for this volume on striptease, Burning Man, The Big Bang Theory TV show, and Groundhog Phil. Written throughout with verve and quirky humor, and offeringQuestions for discussion after every article, this book is perfect for undergraduate classes in anthropology and American studies. Drawing together twenty-two scholars with expertise in anthropological ideas about culture, Reflecting on America examines what it means to be American.

About the Author

Clare L. Boulanger is a cultural anthropologist and Professor Emeritus at Colorado Mesa University (formerly Mesa State College) where she taught for 20 years across the five fields of anthropology. Her interest in American Studies extends back to research she did in 1982 on political decision-making in Burlington, Vermont. Although she has lived and worked in Indonesia, Malaysia, the U.K., Viet Nam, and the People’s Republic of China, she continues to find Americans to be the most exotic of the world’s peoples.