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Applied Anthropology: Tools and Perspectives for Contemporary Practice. Alexander M. Ervin. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.255 pp.
The time is ripe for a new synthesis in applied anthropology. The field is changing rapidly, especially with resistance to globalization emerging as a new focus for research and action. Roughly half of all new Ph.D.s now obtain nonacademic employment. John van Willigen's definitive textbook (Applied Anthropology: An Introduction, rev. ed., Bergin and Garvey, 1993) is almost a decade old. Alexander Ervin's new book, with many strong points and some limitations, will be a useful textbook and handbook for contemporary practice. In my opinion van Willigen remains a more comprehensive treatment of applied anthropology.
Ervin's preface briefly enunciates the major themes: (1) "to present the essentials for actually doing applied anthropology" (p. xiii); (2) emphasis on methods, not theory; (3) strong attention to policy; and (4) heavy reliance on case studies from the United States and Canada, many drawn from the author's own experiences. Taking some pains to justify the selection of case studies, Ervin explains that he is more familiar with United States and Canadian examples, that most applied anthropologists will be working in domestic settings, and that he wishes "to reverse the unfortunate image of anthropology as an exotic and arcane subject normally done in remote places" (p. xiii).
A thorough coverage of methods is essential in a training manual, and Ervin's section on methods is the strongest part of the book. Drawing extensively on the work of Michael Quinn Patton and the late James Spradley, the chapter on participant-- observation and key-informant interviewing is a brief but instructive treatment of these topics. The chapter...