Rhi D. (Rhi3) reviewed Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches (The Riddles of Culture) on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent book! This is a wonderful example of how anthropology, sociology, and religion interact to produce seemingly inexplicable cultural mores.
Jennifer S. (bluets) reviewed Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches (The Riddles of Culture) on + 48 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Interesting perspective on various human behaviors, rituals and so on. Particularly intriguing perspective on the rise of Christianity, in a historical context. Writing style was a little disjointed for my taste.
John O. (buzzby) -
Written in 1974
Why do Hindus worship cows? Why do Jews and Moslems refuse to eat pork? Why did so many people in post-medieval Europe believe in witches? And why have witches managed to stage such a successful comeback in today's popular culture? Marvin Harris answers these and other perplexing questons about human behavior, showing that no matter how bizarre a people's behavior may seem, it always stems from identifiable and intelligible sources.
Intriguing look at culture with lots of amusing inaccuracies.
A leading anthropologist explains why people behave the way they do.
