An Introduction to Two Theories of Social Anthropology

<p> Louis Dumont who died in 1998 was one of the most important figures in post-war French anthropology. He is well-known for his early work on India which culminated in <i>Homo Hierarchicus</i> (1966; in English 1972 1980) an anthropological account of the caste system. He later extended this work into a comparison of the values of Indian and western society in works like <i>Essays on Individualism</i> (1986) and <i>German ideology: From France to Germany and Back</i> (1994). He is also known for pioneering work on kinship in south India and more generally (for example <i>Affinity as a Value</i> 1983). The current volume represents the fruits of this side of his activities and originated in as a series of lectures providing an account of the British and French schools for students.</p>