The Politics of Egalitarianism

This collection of essays, written in honor of prominent anthropologist Richard B. Lee, defines a range of persistent problems that deeply affect the majority of the world's cultures. Lee remains at the forefront of anthropologists concerned with understanding and acting upon issues of indigenous rights, the impact of colonialism and postcolonial state formation on local communities and cultures, how and why cultures change, what the history and politics of egalitarian societies reveal about issues of "human nature" or "social evolution," and how various peoples around the world are responding to, and resisting, the impact of global forces.