Peoples and Cultures of the World Audiobook By Edward Fischer, The Great Courses cover art

Peoples and Cultures of the World

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Peoples and Cultures of the World

By: Edward Fischer, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Edward Fischer
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $33.90

Buy for $33.90

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

As the "science of humanity," anthropology can help us understand virtually anything about ourselves, from our political and economic systems, to why we get married, to how we decide to buy a particular bottle of wine. This 24-lecture course reveals the extraordinary power of anthropology - and its subspecialty, cultural anthropology - as a tool to understand the world's varied human societies, including our own.

  • Is there such a thing as progress? Are modern nations really happier and better off than "primitive" hunter-gatherer societies?
  • How common is cannibalism today? What are the different types of cannibalism, and the beliefs associated with them?
  • What's the difference between a "matriarchal" and a "matrilineal" society? Which is more common among world cultures?

These lectures will immerse you in the world of the Trobriand Islanders of Melanesia; the Yanomamö of the Brazilian Amazon; the Dobe Ju'hoansi or Kung Bushmen of Botswana and Namibia; and other indigenous peoples.

Professor Fischer leads an excursion through cultural practices that often seem, to us, quirky, exotic, and even repulsive - marriages that include as many as 20 husbands, matrilineal societies, magic spirits and witchcraft, cannibalism, and incest - practices that will make you question your assumptions about what is natural, or what is human nature.

As you review these customs, the professor describes the issues that cultural anthropologists face in dealing with them. For example, what should anthropologists do in cases such as female circumcision or ritualized rape, in which customs seriously conflict with our own sense of morality and human rights?

Professor Fischer also applies the lessons of cultural anthropology to our own culture by considering the U.S. economy and consumer behavior. Is our economy really based on rational decision making? If so, why do we eat cattle and pigs, but not horses? Why are we willing to shop around to save $10 on a clock radio, but not on a big-screen TV?

You will grow to appreciate how valuable an understanding of cultural anthropology is in a world of ever-increasing globalization, in which members of even the most remote cultures come into more frequent and more influential contact through international travel, migration, business, and the Internet.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2004 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2004 The Great Courses
Social Sciences

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Foundations of Western Civilization Audiobook By Thomas F. X. Noble, The Great Courses cover art
The Foundations of Western Civilization By: Thomas F. X. Noble, and others
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition Audiobook By Daniel N. Robinson, The Great Courses cover art
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition By: Daniel N. Robinson, and others
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World Audiobook By Robert Garland, The Great Courses cover art
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World By: Robert Garland, and others
The Dead Sea Scrolls Audiobook By Gary A. Rendsburg, The Great Courses cover art
The Dead Sea Scrolls By: Gary A. Rendsburg, and others
Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior Audiobook By Mark Leary, The Great Courses cover art
Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior By: Mark Leary, and others
Food: A Cultural Culinary History Audiobook By Ken Albala, The Great Courses cover art
Food: A Cultural Culinary History By: Ken Albala, and others
Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science Audiobook By Robert Sapolsky, The Great Courses cover art
Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science By: Robert Sapolsky, and others
The Story of Human Language Audiobook By John McWhorter, The Great Courses cover art
The Story of Human Language By: John McWhorter, and others
Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion Audiobook By Bill Messenger, The Great Courses cover art
Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion By: Bill Messenger, and others
A Day's Read Audiobook By The Great Courses, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth, Arnold Weinstein cover art
A Day's Read By: The Great Courses, and others
The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean Audiobook By Kenneth R. Bartlett, The Great Courses cover art
The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, and others
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition Audiobook By Richard Wolfson, The Great Courses cover art
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition By: Richard Wolfson, and others
History's Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach Audiobook By The Great Courses, Gregory S. Aldrete cover art
History's Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach By: The Great Courses, and others
The Passions: Philosophy and the Intelligence of Emotions Audiobook By Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses cover art
The Passions: Philosophy and the Intelligence of Emotions By: Robert C. Solomon, and others
No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life Audiobook By Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses cover art
No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life By: Robert C. Solomon, and others
Writing Creative Nonfiction Audiobook By Tilar J J. Mazzeo, The Great Courses cover art
Writing Creative Nonfiction By: Tilar J J. Mazzeo, and others
Augustine: Philosopher and Saint Audiobook By Phillip Cary, The Great Courses cover art
Augustine: Philosopher and Saint By: Phillip Cary, and others
The American Civil War Audiobook By Gary W. Gallagher, The Great Courses cover art
The American Civil War By: Gary W. Gallagher, and others
The Iliad of Homer Audiobook By Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses cover art
The Iliad of Homer By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
Thinking Like an Economist: A Guide to Rational Decision Making Audiobook By Randall Bartlett, The Great Courses cover art
Thinking Like an Economist: A Guide to Rational Decision Making By: Randall Bartlett, and others

People who viewed this also viewed...

The Foundations of Western Civilization Audiobook By Thomas F. X. Noble, The Great Courses cover art
The Foundations of Western Civilization By: Thomas F. X. Noble, and others
The American Civil War Audiobook By Gary W. Gallagher, The Great Courses cover art
The American Civil War By: Gary W. Gallagher, and others
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World Audiobook By Robert Garland, The Great Courses cover art
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World By: Robert Garland, and others
Understanding Cognitive Biases Audiobook By Alexander B. Swan, The Great Courses cover art
Understanding Cognitive Biases By: Alexander B. Swan, and others
Food: A Cultural Culinary History Audiobook By Ken Albala, The Great Courses cover art
Food: A Cultural Culinary History By: Ken Albala, and others
Understanding Complexity Audiobook By Scott E. Page, The Great Courses cover art
Understanding Complexity By: Scott E. Page, and others
Sex in the Middle Ages Audiobook By Jennifer McNabb, The Great Courses cover art
Sex in the Middle Ages By: Jennifer McNabb, and others
The Rise of Modern Japan Audiobook By Mark J. Ravina, The Great Courses cover art
The Rise of Modern Japan By: Mark J. Ravina, and others
The Dead Sea Scrolls Audiobook By Gary A. Rendsburg, The Great Courses cover art
The Dead Sea Scrolls By: Gary A. Rendsburg, and others
The Theory of Evolution: A History of Controversy Audiobook By Edward J. Larson, The Great Courses cover art
The Theory of Evolution: A History of Controversy By: Edward J. Larson, and others
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition Audiobook By Daniel N. Robinson, The Great Courses cover art
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition By: Daniel N. Robinson, and others
The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean Audiobook By Kenneth R. Bartlett, The Great Courses cover art
The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, and others
Strange Religion Audiobook By Nijay K. Gupta cover art
Strange Religion By: Nijay K. Gupta
1066: The Year That Changed Everything Audiobook By Jennifer Paxton, The Great Courses cover art
1066: The Year That Changed Everything By: Jennifer Paxton, and others
The Rise of Communism: From Marx to Lenin Audiobook By Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, The Great Courses cover art
The Rise of Communism: From Marx to Lenin By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, and others
Ancient Mesopotamia Audiobook By The Great Courses cover art
Ancient Mesopotamia By: The Great Courses
Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion Audiobook By Bill Messenger, The Great Courses cover art
Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion By: Bill Messenger, and others
The Vietnam War Audiobook By John C. McManus, The Great Courses cover art
The Vietnam War By: John C. McManus, and others
Engaging Lectures • Memorable Case Studies • Comprehensive Introduction • Passionate Delivery • Educational Content
Highly rated for:
Most relevant  
Found this lectures very interesting to learn about different cultures. Man was I shocked by some cultures who have cannibalism, pedophilia and kinds of abuse that we find apaling in our culture. It was difficult to hear but the profesor did a good job explaining how cultures are different and have evolved. Recommended.

Great to learn about different cultures

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I've listened to many of the Great Courses-- and this one tanks very near the top. I've never studied Sociology or Anthropology-- but I found these lectures insightful, interesting, and engaging. Highly recommend!

Facinating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

PLEASE get this professor on for more lectures! He was very engaging and sounded like he had a genuine, enthusiastic interest in what he does

Very well-rounded!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is my favioret lecture from Great Courses so far. He goes over almost every part of culture there is, he reveals any of his own biases that he may have and it was almost...strange to have no real viewpoint on what he said. He asked questions that really made me think, and I loved thinking about it, but often found once I was happy with the answer I came to I had missed something. I didnt agree with him every step of the way but everything he said I understood and he spoke of cultures I've never heard of but enjoyed learning about. If your intrested in culture at all, this is a definite must.

Intresting and unbiased

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Unlike anything I've heard on Great Courses, totally fantastic course that stays fresh and interesting throughout. Fischer is one of the best lecturers I've heard, and he covers a huge swath of anthropology with memorable case studies that really help with retaining information.

Perfect introduction to cultural anthropology

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is a great comprehensive review on cultures and their impact. It brought back memories from my college days.

Comprehensive

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I loved learning about world cultures, especially there contrast with our own! some of it was hard to accept at times, but always fascinating.

incredibly interesting!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

very well organized view of different peoples and cultural practices around the world. good listen

very interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I've skimmed many of the topics covered in this lecture during my graduate school days, but Professor Fischer's passion for this topic enhanced my understanding of the cultures mentioned here and his framing of Anthropology as a discipline added enormously to my understanding of the subject matter. Listening to this course gave me exactly what I had hoped for: a fascinating, globe-trotting escape into the lives of other people I will never meet and an opportunity to marvel at our shared, human experiences.

Great refresher

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What made the experience of listening to Peoples and Cultures of the World the most enjoyable?

I have a degree in Anthropology and stay current on theory. This course is so interesting and fun. I loved the professor's lectures, he makes the material relevant and engaging.
I highly recommend this course.

Have you listened to any of Professor Edward Fischer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no, this is the only one

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

all the lectures were great

Best Antropological course ever.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews