"One of the best books ever about Japanese society . . . [A] thoughtful, nuanced study of the Japanese character."— U.S. News & World Report"A classic book because of its intellectual and stylistic lucidity . . . Benedict was a writer of great humanity and generosity of spirit."—from the foreword by Ian BurumaEssential reading for anyone interested in Japanese culture, this unsurpassed masterwork opens an intriguing window on Japan. The World War I...

This book is a profound and comprehensive presentation of Japanese daily manners and customs, a study and history of human thought discussing Japan's conduct of World War ll. Author Ruth Benedict revealed the intricate views of the Japanese & more with political, religious and economic issues as well as sexual conduct, Geisha, prostitution, and marriage in their daily lives. A classic of cultural anthropology.

An anthropologist compares three diverse societies in this groundbreaking, "unique and important" cultural study ( The New York Times).A remarkable introduction to cultural studies, Patterns of Culture made history in exploring the role of culture in shaping our lives. In it, the renowned anthropologist Ruth Benedict offers an in-depth look at three societies—the Zuñi of the southwestern United States, the Kwakiutl of western Canada, and the Dobua...

Ruth Benedict's The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture is a landmark work of cultural anthropology, written to interpret Japanese society for an American readership during and immediately after the Second World War. Combining lucid prose with comparative analysis, Benedict examines honor, obligation, hierarchy, shame, discipline, and aesthetic refinement as interlocking patterns rather than isolated customs. Its title captures the book's central tension: the coexiste...

In her seminal work, "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture," Ruth Benedict explores the complex fabric of Japanese society, woven through its historical, social, and cultural threads. Written during World War II, this ethnographic study is remarkable for its analytical depth and literary elegance, employing a comparative method that juxtaposes Japanese values with those of Western cultures. Benedict investigates key themes such as honor, duty, and the dualities of ...

In 'The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture,' Ruth Benedict delivers a pioneering analysis of Japanese society, exploring its intricate social structures and cultural values, particularly in the context of World War II. Through a blend of anthropological insights and cultural criticisms, Benedict employs a comparative framework to juxtapose Japanese norms with those of Western cultures, using powerful metaphors such as the chrysanthemum and sword to illustrate the dua...

"One of the best books ever about Japanese society…[A] thoughtful, nuanced study of the Japanese character." —U.S. News & World Report"A classic of Japanese cultural studies…debunks the stereotype of the Japanese as hopelessly rigid and incapable of change." —The New York TimesFirst published in 1946, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword is renowned for its insights into Japanese culture—examining social structure, fam...

In science, race can be a useful concept—for specific, limited purposes. When race, as a way of classifying people, is drafted into the service of politics, religion, or any belief system, then danger follows. That is the focus of this classic repudiation of racism, which is as readable and timely now as when it first appeared.Race: Science and Politics was first published in 1940, in response to the global rise of fascism and its pseudoscientific rationales for marginaliz...

An Anthropologist at Work is the product of a long collaboration between Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead. Mead, who was Benedict's student, colleague, and eventually her biographer, here has collected the bulk of Ruth Benedict's writings. This includes letters between these two seminal anthropologists, correspondence with Franz Boas (Benedict's teacher), Edward Sapir's poems, and notes from studies that Benedict had collected throughout her life. Since Benedict wrote little, Mead has flesh...

This book was originally published in 1935. For some years past the scientific study of primitive peoples has experimented in a variety of directions for new methods of investigation. Criticism of the comparative method, of which Sir James Frazer is recognized as the foremost exponent all the world over, has been directed mainly against the fragmentary character of its evidence when torn from its context.In this book Dr Benedict offers an alternative method of approach. The aim of ...

The origin stories of the O’odham (Pima) Indians of Arizona are renowned for their beauty and complexity but have been collected in only a handful of books. This volume—the third full O’odham telling of ancientness to appear in print—brings together dozens of stories collected in 1927 by anthropologist Ruth Benedict during her only visit to the Pimas. Never before published, they helped inspire Benedict to write her groundbreaking book Patterns of Culture....

This essential collection on maternal and child health focuses on the rites of giving birth from a cross-cultural perspective. The distinguished list of contributors describe the many customs surrounding birth through infancy, highlighting a wide range of variation in practices across cultures. They discuss attitudes and techniques in childbirth, the interaction between human evolutionary form and birthing procedures, the influence of societal factors that differentiate Western from non-We...