Introduction

All human life unfolds within a matrix of relations, which are at once social and biological. Yet the study of humanity has long been divided between often incompatible social and biological approaches.

Scope and Approach

Reaching beyond the dualisms of nature and society and of biology and culture, this volume proposes a unique and integrated view of anthropology and the life sciences.

Contributions and Themes

Featuring contributions from leading anthropologists, it explores human life as a process of becoming rather than being, and demonstrates that humanity is neither given in the nature of our species nor acquired through culture but forged in the process of life itself.

Methodology and Significance

Combining wide-ranging theoretical argument with in-depth discussion of material from recent or ongoing field research, the chapters demonstrate how contemporary anthropology can move forward in tandem with groundbreaking discoveries in the biological sciences.