Mary Douglas : an intellectual biography / Richard Fardon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fardon, Richard.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Douglas, Mary.

Ethnologists--Great Britain--Biography.

Ethnologists.

Great Britain.

Douglas, Mary, 1921-2007.

Local Subjects:

Douglas, Mary, 1921-2007.

Ethnologists--Great Britain--Biography.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xx, 315 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 1999.

Summary:

This is the first full-length account of the life and ideas of Mary Douglas, whom many consider to be the most influential British social anthropologist of the modern era. Richard Fardon covers Douglas' family background, education and early research before providing an analysis of two of her most important works: "Purity and Danger" (1966) and "Natural Symbols" (1970). The final section deals with Douglas' often controversial forays across disciplinary boundaries--into Old Testament studies as well as the fields of economics, religion and risk analysis in contemporary societies. An indispensable aid to further research, "Mary Douglas: An Intellectual Biography" offers a significant contribution to the history of social anthropology in the second half of the twentieth century and will surely remain the definitive work on its subject for years to come.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 262-292) and indexes.

ISBN:

0415040922

0415040930

OCLC:

39235708