This book offers a comprehensive and balanced presentation on views of human culture, evolution, and prehistory. Haviland presents the principles and processes of anthropology, both physical and cultural, including ethnology, linguistics, and prehistoric archaeology. As he integrates research and ideas from several schools of thought, the author cites current research and uses his lively trademark writing style to engage students and keep them interested in "real world" anthropology. The first section of the text covers selected aspects of physical anthropology and prehistoric archaeology as they relate to the origin of humanity, the origin of culture, and the development of human biological and cultural diversity. The second section covers the essentials of cultural anthropology, and challenges students to think about the diversity of the human condition while at the same time supporting them with a fascinating examination of the field of cultural anthropology, its findings, and its relevance to the modern world. Haviland's commitment to challenging student ethnocentrism is continued and reinforced in this new edition.