Cultures and Peoples of the Amazon

(cross-leveled with ANTHRO 7680).Amazonia is one of the most diverse regions on the planet in terms of both the diversity of biological species and human languages and cultures. It is one of the last places in the world where some human societies have limited contact with the outside world. The Amazon basin is literally one of the last frontiers for traditional anthropological studies and a battle-ground between colonization and cultural survival. This is an exciting time for students of cultural variation in Amazonia with the emergence of a large amount of cross-cultural information available for Amazonian peoples. We will survey a number of cutting-edge topics to gain a deeper understanding of this vast cultural variation. Recommended: Junior standing recommended.