The Man-Eating Myth: Anthropology and Anthropophagy (Galaxy Books)

Interesting, but outdated: In this controversial work William Arens claims that cannibalism is just a creation of prejudice. According to him there is no evidence supporting the wide-spread belief that cannibalism has been a socially accepted practice in certain cultures. As years have gone by, lots of evidence has surfaced. For most scholars of archaeology and anthropology there is no question about whether anthropophagy has existed or not: All around the world there have been societies in which cannibalism has been a commonplace ritual practice. Many other types of cultural phenomena are supported by far thinner body of evidence. Denial of the existence of cannibalism seems to be a post-colonial psychological coping mechanism -- show more similar to regularly emerging refusal of the holocaust.

In 90s Arens has had to slighten his strict opinions in order to maintain any academical credibility, although he still has not taken back his claim that there is no systematical, widely practiced cannibalism in any culture -- nor has probably ever been.

Arens' arguments are interesting and the book may most certainly open eyes for colonial structures of meaning. However, it should be recognised that the theory is partly outdated. show less

brilliant insight for witch hunting and murky christian history: Marvin Harris explains witch hunting and murky christian history with scientific objectivity and love of fragil human race. We need a strong survival strategy for the next generations of human race. I hope his book would educate primitively religious people of christianity and islams for better understanding of life on earth for the sake of our childern to come.

alleges no real evidence for regular accepted cannibalism in any area