Peter Just

The story of Margaret Thatcher’s life after Downing Street is a tale of high drama and low farce, with, at its heart, one extraordinary woman. No longer in office but never really out of power, Margaret Thatcher enjoyed perhaps the most consequential ex-premiership of any Prime Minister in British history. British politics today largely reflects and is a consequence not only of Thatcher’s time in No. 10 but also of her later life and how people reacted and still react to it. It is as much our story as it is hers. In her centenary year, this book provides a radical reassessment of how Thatcher’s post-prime ministership has been viewed to date. Covering the four main areas of her work after Downing Street – philosophy, party, policy and performance – and analysing her continued and continuing influence on the Conservative leaders and Prime Ministers of all parties who followed her, it demonstrates why, however small the politics may or may not have got since 1990, Margaret Thatcher is still big.

Social and cultural anthropology has made many important contributions to modern thought: through its investigation of culture as a distinctively human characteristic; its doctrine of cultural relativism; and its methodology of fieldwork and ethnography. This Very Short Introduction explores the fundamental concepts of the field and its methods, as well as its relevance to contemporary life. Throughout, Peter Just and John Monaghan ground their discussion in concrete examples drawn from their own field experiences in Mexico and Indonesia. This new edition also considers some of the developments of the new generation of social and cultural anthropologists. It explores the 'cultural construction' of social categories, in particular of gender, as well as discussing recent work on migration and the development of 'ontological anthropology.' ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introduction series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

If you want to know what anthropology is, look at what anthropologists do. This Very Short Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology combines an accessible account of some of the disciplines guiding principles and methodology with abundant examples and illustrations of anthropologists at work. Peter Just and John Monaghan begin by discussing anthropologys most important contributions to modern thought: its investigation of culture as a distinctively human characteristic, its doctrine of cultural relativism, and its methodology of fieldwork and ethnography. They then examine specific ways in which social and cultural anthropology have advanced our understanding of human society and culture, drawing on examples from their own fieldwork. The book ends with an assessment of anthropologys present position, and a look forward to its likely future. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.