Welcome to the Library's Anthropology Research Guide!
This guide is designed to introduce you to the Anthropology resources available in our library and online. These are meant to be examples of what is available and does not represent the entirety of our collection.
If you have any questions or are in need of research assistance please contact us at library@csi.edu or 208-732-6500.
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology by 
Dictionary of Race, Ethnicity and Culture by
This new and up-to-date dictionary contains numerous references to both European and American concepts, debates and terms that are relevant today- including words such as 'boat people', 'cybernazis', 'ebonics' as well as more established words and terms, such as 'affirmative action', 'caste', 'fortress Europe' and many more.
SAGE Key Concepts series: Key Concepts in Community Studies
This book defines the current identity of community studies, provides a critical but reliable introduction to its key concepts, and is an engaging guide to the key social research methods used by community researchers and practitioners.
Almost Human by
"This first-person narrative about an archaeological discovery is rewriting the story of human evolution. A story of defiance and determination by a controversial scientist, this is Lee Berger's own take on finding Homo naledi, an all-new species on the human family tree and one of the greatest discoveries of the 21st century. In 2013, Berger, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, caught wind of a cache of bones in a hard-to-reach underground cave in South Africa. He put out a call around the world for petite collaborators--men and women small and adventurous enough to be able to squeeze through 8-inch tunnels to reach a sunless cave 40 feet underground. With this team of "underground astronauts," Berger made the discovery of a lifetime: hundreds of prehistoric bones, including entire skeletons of at least 15 individuals, all perhaps two million years old. Their features combined those of known prehominids like Lucy, the famous Australopithecus, with those more human than anything ever before seen in prehistoric remains. Berger's team had discovered an all new species, and they called it Homo naledi. The cave quickly proved to be the richest primitive hominid site ever discovered, full of implications that shake the very foundation of how we define what makes us human. Did this species come before, during, or after the emergence of Homo sapiens on our evolutionary tree? How did the cave come to contain nothing but the remains of these individuals? Did they bury their dead? If so, they must have had a level of self-knowledge, including an awareness of death. And yet those are the very characteristics used to define what makes us human. Did an equally advanced species inhabit Earth with us, or before us? Berger does not hesitate to address all these questions. Berger is a charming and controversial figure, and some colleagues question his interpretation of this and other finds. But in these pages, this charismatic and visionary paleontologist counters their arguments and tells his personal story: a rich and readable narrative about science, exploration, and what it means to be human"-- Provided by publisher.
Evolution: a Very Short Introduction by 
Multicultural Manners by 
Social and Cultural Anthropology by 
Decoding Neanderthals by
Over 60,000 years ago, the first modern humans left their African homeland and entered Europe, then a bleak and inhospitable continent in the grip of the Ice Age. But when they arrived, they were not alone: the stocky, powerfully built Neanderthals had already been living there for hundreds of thousands of years. So what happened when the first modern humans encountered the Neanderthals? Did they make love or war?
First Peoples by
200,000 years ago we took our first steps in Africa. Today there are seven billion of us living across the planet. How did our ancestors spread from continent to continent? This is a global detective story, featuring the latest archaeological discoveries and genetic research. On each continent, we track down the earliest members of our species, Homo sapiens. Who were these First Peoples? What drove them to the ends of the earth?
The Human Spark by
Alan Alda takes a look at how humans first appeared on Earth millions of years ago, and how our species not only survived, but thrived, through some unimaginable conditions. Alda visits with dozens of scientists on three continents, and participates directly in many experiments - including the detailed examination of his own brain.
Journey of Man by
How did the human race populate the world? A group of geneticists have worked on the question for a decade, arriving at a startling conclusion: the "global family tree" can be traced to one African man who lived 60,000 years ago. Dr. Spencer Wells hosts this innovative series, featuring commentary by expert scientists, historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists.
Mysteries of Mankind by
Gives a history of anthropological research, beginning with discoveries in Africa of australopithecine bones, the Leakeys' discoveries in the African Rift Valley and Olduvai Gorge, and Donald Johanson's work in Hadar, Ethiopia. The various methods of determining evolutionary paths of man are shown through the investigation of fossilized bones and discovered tools; observing the behavior of living primates (including orangutan locomotion and chimpanzees defending themselves against a mechanical leopard); comparing the blood proteins of man and the apes; and tracing the genetic evolution of a DNA chain passed on by females. Ancestors discussed includes Australopithecus afarensis, Homo erectus, and Neanderthal man.
Race: The Power of an Illusion by
challenges one of our most fundamental beliefs: that humans come divided into a few distinct biological groups. This...series is an eye-opening tale of how what we assume to be normal, commonsense, even scientific, is actually shaped by our history, social institutions and cultural beliefs. Episode one explores how recent scientific discoveries have toppled the concept of biological race. Episode two questions the belief that race has always been with us. It traces the race concept to the European conquest of the Americas. Episode three focuses on how our institutions shape and create race.
