This original and provocative text provides an approach to understanding the emergence and development of social rank through race and caste. The struggles we face in race and ethnic relations today are explored through anthropological, historical and sociological lenses to understand the roots of social hierarchy drawing on examples from the Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean, and mainland America.

About the Author
Chris Smaje is a Lecturer of Sociology at the University of Surrey. He holds degrees in anthropology, health policy, and sociology, and his research interests span the fields of medical sociology and the comparative historical sociology of race and colonialism. He is a member of the editorial boards of the journals Ethnic and Racial Studies and Sociology of Health and Illness.

Reviews
"Natural Hierarchies is an insightful study of the complex ways in which race and social relations are grounded in specific historical and cultural contexts. Through its rare combination of clearly argued theoretical analyses and empirical research it forces all of us working on these questions to rethink our research agendas and key concepts." John Solomos, South Bank University

"This wide-ranging book considers political ideologies, European colonialism, and classical and contemporary social theory, especially that of Marx and Levi-Strauss." S. D. Borchert, Lake Erie College.

"an interesting work." Contemporary Sociology

"Smaje's book is a major contribution to the area. It is ambitious, erudite, and insightful." Ethnic and Racial Studies

Book Information
ISBN 9780631209492
Author Chris Smaje
Format Paperback
Page Count 302
Imprint Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 445g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm