Advanced Introduction to Economic Anthropology

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.

Expertly navigating the interdisciplinary field of economic anthropology, Peter D. Little illustrates how an anthropological perspective can deepen understandings of customary and global markets; different types of money; diversified livelihoods of the poor; gendered and racialized labor; climate change and other global issues. By questioning common dichotomies, such as the informal versus formal sectors and customary versus modern institutions, the book uncovers those hidden connections, power relations, and economic actors and processes that underpin real economies throughout the world.



Key Features:







Highlights the significance of neglected and unwaged economic activities


Focuses on the role of social trust in both low- and high-income economies


Covers in depth how decisions in financial institutions are impacted by cultural factors


Critically analyzes seminal literature in economic anthropology and related disciplines



This erudite Advanced Introduction is an indispensable resource for academics, researchers, and students in economics and finance, behavioral and experimental economics, economic history, anthropology, development studies, international and global studies, and cultural and social economy studies.