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In this accessible yet rigorous account of the evolution of social anthropology, H. R. Hays traces how scholars from James Frazer to Claude Lévi‑Strauss developed intellectual frameworks to interpret human society, myth, ritual and taboo. The author presents the subject as both a historical narrative—covering the pioneers, their fieldwork and debates—and as a thematic exploration of how humans have sought to explain their origins, relationships and cultural practices. The tone is informal but informed, combining stories of anthropological discovery with reflection on culture, ritual, kinship, totemism and the scientific impulse to study “primitive” societies in order to understand ourselves. This book contributes to anthropology by offering a broad overview of the discipline’s formation, its shifts of paradigm, and its continuing relevance in a modern world riddled with cross-cultural encounters.