Anthony F. C. Wallace, one of the most influential American anthropologists of the modern era, brings together some of his most stimulating and celebrated writings. These essays feature his seminal work on revitalization movements, which has profoundly shaped our understanding of the processes of change in religious and political organizations—from the nineteenth-century code of the Seneca prophet known as Handsome Lake to the origins of world religions and political faiths. Wallace also discusses mazeways—mental maps that join personalities with cultures and thereby illustrate how individuals embrace their culture, conduct everyday life, and cope with illness and other forms of severe personal or cultural stress.
Wallace offers a set of penetrating observations and analyses of change on topics ranging from immediate responses to disasters to long-term technological adaptations and transformations in artistic style. Wallace’s theories, fieldwork, and concepts featured in this landmark volume continue to challenge scholars across disciplines, including anthropologists, historians, sociologists, and theologians.