Key papers in Anthropology
Pofolia’s corpus holds 67 papers from the Anthropology subfield (2012–2023). The list below starts with the most cited.
Most cited
Ranked by citation count. Because citations accumulate over time, this list naturally leans towards work published a few years ago; for where the field is now, see “recently added”.
The Institutional Logics Perspective
Oxford University Press eBooks · 2012 · FWCI 208.57 · 3,530 citations
This book introduces and elaborates on the institutional logics perspective, a framework that explains how institutions shape individual and organizational cognition and action, and vice versa.
Stone Age Economics
2012 · FWCI 250.91 · 3,021 citations
Marshall Sahlins's "Stone Age Economics" argues that hunter-gatherer societies were the original "affluent society," challenging traditional economic views.
Place: A Short Introduction
Localities · 2012 · FWCI 1146.57 · 2,892 citations
This abstract outlines a book that introduces the concept of 'place' by exploring its definitions, historical development, and practical applications across various disciplines.
On the Postcolony
2019 · FWCI 264.64 · 2,694 citations
Achille Mbembe's "On the Postcolony" offers a profound renewal of understanding power and subjectivity in Africa, challenging established Africanist, nativist, and postcolonial theories.
“Orientalism - Western Conceptions of the Orient”
2012 · FWCI 749.89 · 2,678 citations
Between 1815 and 1914, European colonial dominion expanded dramatically, driven by a conception of the 'Orient' as inherently inferior and ripe for Western control and ownership.
Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis: Elements of the Sociology of Corporate Life
2021 · FWCI 310.15 · 2,234 citations
This paper outlines a framework for analyzing organizations by categorizing sociological paradigms into four distinct types: functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist, and radical structuralist.
Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power
2020 · FWCI 117.92 · 2,212 citations
This work argues that managing sexual arrangements and affective attachments was crucial for establishing colonial categories and asserting European supremacy.
Expectations of Modernity
2019 · FWCI 130.89 · 2,202 citations
This ethnographic study explores how Zambian mineworkers in the Copperbelt region navigate social and cultural responses to a prolonged period of economic decline since the mid-1970s, challenging standard narratives of urbanization.
A High-Coverage Genome Sequence from an Archaic Denisovan Individual
Science · 2012 · Q1 · SJR 10.00 · FWCI 670.91 · 2,137 citations
Researchers developed a new DNA library preparation method to sequence a Denisovan genome at 30x coverage, revealing extremely low genetic diversity in this extinct human relative.
The institutional logics perspective: a new approach to culture, structure, and process
Choice Reviews Online · 2012 · 1,969 citations
This paper introduces the institutional logics perspective as a novel framework for understanding how culture, structure, and process interact within organizations and fields.
Ethnography: Step-by-Step
2020 · FWCI 38.32 · 1,859 citations
This abstract outlines a structured, step-by-step approach to conducting ethnographic research, framing it as a practical guide for navigating fieldwork.
Affect and Emotion: A New Social Science Understanding
2012 · FWCI 95.42 · 1,816 citations
This work synthesizes research across disciplines to propose a unified agenda for understanding affect and emotion in social science.
Qualitative research: deductive and inductive approaches to data analysis
Qualitative Research Journal · 2018 · Q1 · FWCI 129.43 · 1,241 citations
This paper presents a model for systematically analyzing qualitative data using both deductive and inductive approaches, addressing a gap in methodological literature, especially for novice researchers.
Beyond the suffering subject: toward an anthropology of the good
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute · 2013 · Q1 · FWCI 192.14 · 1,210 citations
Anthropology shifted focus from 'other' societies to the 'suffering subject' in the 1980s, potentially losing critical capacities. The paper proposes a new direction: an 'anthropology of the good' to regain critical force without past weaknesses.
Red Skin, White Masks: Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition
The AAG Review of Books · 2016 · FWCI 946.08 · 971 citations · Open access
This book critiques the "politics of recognition" as a colonial tool that perpetuates Indigenous subjugation by focusing on symbolic gestures rather than substantive decolonization.
Annual Review of Anthropology
Annual Review of Anthropology · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · 863 citations
The Annual Review of Anthropology has been a key publication since 1972, covering major advancements across its diverse subfields.
Globalization and the Decolonial Option
2013 · FWCI 39.33 · 860 citations
This collection of essays explores the concept of 'coloniality' as a persistent structure of power and knowledge that extends beyond formal colonialism, arguing for a 'decolonial option' to dismantle these enduring systems.
From Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
2019 · FWCI 688.81 · 856 citations
This abstract is a personal reflection and does not contain research findings, data, or scientific claims.
Ethnography and the Historical Imagination
2019 · FWCI 21.68 · 846 citations
This volume presents essays by John and Jean Comaroff, offering a new approach to "imaginative sociology" that bridges ethnography and historical anthropology. It explores how human differences are constructed, power dynamics are shaped, and local cultures interact with global forms.
What Kinship Is-And Is Not
2013 · FWCI 48.82 · 828 citations
Kinship is defined as a symbolic, cultural notion of belonging where individuals are parts of one another, experiencing each other's joys and sorrows, rather than a biological connection by blood.
Recently added
Becoming Human: Matter and Meaning in an Antiblack World
The AAG Review of Books · 2023 · 529 citations
Zakiyyah Iman Jackson's "Becoming Human" critiques Western philosophical and scientific definitions of 'human' and 'animal' as rooted in antiblackness, arguing these constructs are not inherent but socially produced.
“DISCURSO SOBRE O COLONIALISMO (1950)”
Revista de Estudos de Cultura · 2022 · FWCI 484.24 · 587 citations · Open access
This article analyzes Aimé Césaire's "Discourse on Colonialism (1950)", highlighting its critique of European modernity as a dystopian force in the colonial context and its exploration of decolonization pathways.
Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis: Elements of the Sociology of Corporate Life
2021 · FWCI 310.15 · 2,234 citations
This paper outlines a framework for analyzing organizations by categorizing sociological paradigms into four distinct types: functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist, and radical structuralist.
Shamanism, Colonialism, and the Wild Man: A Study in Terror and Healing
2020 · FWCI 159.63 · 723 citations
Michael Taussig's book argues that the image of the 'Wild Man' associated with Indian shamans reveals the power of politicizing fictions to create perceived reality, rather than the shaman's inherent magic.
Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction
Oxford University Press eBooks · 2020 · FWCI 76.23 · 709 citations
This book outlines the global challenge to Western-centric perspectives, re-examining world histories and cultures through diverse examples like indigenous peoples, Algerian raï music, and updated material on race, decoloniality, and gender politics.
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