The Anthropology of Drugs

From khat to kava to ketamine, drugs are constitutive parts of cultures, identities, economies and livelihoods. This much-needed book is a clear introduction to the anthropology of drugs, providing a cutting-edge and accessible overview of the topic. The authors examine and assess the following key topics:

- How drugs feature in anthropology and the work of anthropologists and the general role of drugs in society

- Comparison between biochemical and pharmacological approaches to drugs and bio-socio-cultural models of understanding drugs

- Evolutionary origins of psychotropic drug sensitivity and archaeological evidence for the spread of psychoactive substances in pre-history

- Drugs in spiritual and religions contexts, considering their role in altered states of consciousness, divination and healing

- Stimulant drugs and the ambivalence with which they are treated in society

- Addiction and dependency

- Drug economies, livelihoods and the pr