Debating Humankind's Place in Nature, 1860-2000

Features:

An historical approach - Establishes for students the nature of paleoanthropology through the historical development of the field from 1860 through 2000 and shows students that paleoanthropology is a remarkably progressive field.

A focus on the debates in the field of human evolution (especially the phylogenetic or genealogical debates)–

Analyzes four distinct debates, presented separately from their inception to the present: 1) Humankind''s place among the primates; 2) The place of the australopithecines relative to the human line; 3) Debates on human phylogeny proper; 4) Proposed scenarios of hominization.

Presentation and analysis of the viewpoints of over 150 scholars - Gives students a valuable reference work for the future (includes over 1200 references in the bibliography) as well as a comprehensive text for today.