The Dobe Ju/'Hoansi (Case Studies in Cultural Anthropology) | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard B. Lee
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy Used: $17.98
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Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 5019
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3rd
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 249
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.4
ISBN: 0155063332
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.089961
EAN: 9780155063334
ASIN: 0155063332
Publication Date: February 4, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
This classic, bestselling study of the !Kung San, foragers of the Dobe area of the Kalahari Desert describes a people's reactions to the forces of modernization, detailing relatively recent changes to !Kung rituals, beliefs, social structure, marriage and kinship system. It documents their determination to take hold of their own destinydespite exploitation of their habitat and relentless developmentto assert their political rights and revitalize their communities. Use of the name Ju/'hoansi (meaning "real people") acknowledges their new sense of empowerment.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 very interesting September 30, 2008
This book is very interesting. It is one of those books that I buy for school and end up really getting into and reading even when I don't have to. I highly suggest this book for anyone into anthropology, learning about other cultures, or just wanting to read some interesting out-of-the-box non-fiction.
Wonderful March 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read this book while taking an undergraduate sociocultural anthropology class. Several years later, it still stands out in my mind as a crisp, fair ethnography in a field full of opaque and often pejorative books.
Richard B. Lee's accomplishment here is to balance a scientific and human approach. Realizing how strongly a physical environment can impact a culture, Lee smartly and dispassionately details the basic facts of the Ju/'Hoansi's past and current situation - the geography and ecology of their home in the Kalahari desert, their food supply, etc. On this canvas, he paints a picture of the culture of this people. This sweeps from the physical layout of their camps to their language (including a thorough exposition of those interesting click consonants) to their handling of mortality and sexuality to the privileges and "complaint discourse" of older members of the society. Then Lee qualifies this whole portrait by describing recent developments, including enroachment of other cultures, erosion of the traditional lifestyle, and the dispossession and advocacy that has defined the Ju's recent relationships with the Namibian and Botswanan governments.
What amazed me about all this is that Lee remains tenderly human during this rich exposition. He writes of the Ju with great respect and humbly describes vigniettes of his interaction with his subjects - like when he got his pet name and when he had crushes on various native women. He avoids sentimental exoticism when describing how the culture began to fall apart due to pressures on their territory from Black herders. Instead, he documents the painful transition with precision and observational detail and even finds sources of hope. For example, he connects Ju women's lower-than-average HIV infection rates with the culture's respect for women, arguing that Ju women's assertiveness make them more likely to insist on condom use. Also, rather than arguing that only the old way could be good for the Ju, Lee looks forward, advocating the Ju's integration into the larger society and adaptation of modern land-use patterns.
In this book, Richard Lee shows himself to be one of the rare anthropologists who do a good job portraying their culture of study but resist the possessive urge to lament its change and adaptation over time. For me, it recalls many happy hours reading in college, taking in the sunshine while struggling through all the click consonants. I heartily recommend it.
 Very Insightful October 4, 2007
This book contains a lot of data and figures on the Ju/hoansi and is very informative and well written. The changes of the people, as well as their neighbors, are well documented.
A+++++ Very nice March 23, 2007
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Awesome job, I was in a bind because I needed this for my Anthropology class. And I lost my copy while on a family trip! OOPS! And Amazon had it to me just in time for me to finish and score full points on the exam!
Makes you have a deep understanding for this group January 14, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had to read the book for a cultural anthropology class and many of the passages are easy to read. I started the class thinking of tribes in Africa as "backwards" and at the end of the class I now think that tribes in Africa are another form of a group. The book gives a viewpoint of like you're there.
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