This is a brilliant history of anthropology from its origins in 19th century Europe to the present day. Underlying this and closely connected to this meta-narrative, is the story of European settlement and colonialization of Australia and the distressing history of Australian official policy towards the Australian aboriginal population (other colonial enterprises are also examined; for instance, the book incorporates a discussion of the late 19th century development of American cultural anthropology and its relation to the European settlement of North America). The author shows how anthropological theory emerged from the political and intellectual culture of Victorian England (and to a lesser extent Germany and the United States) and examines its relationship to science, particularly evolutionary science.

This book is an analytic tour de force that will be of interest to socio-cultural anthropologists, historians of ideas, social and cultural geographers, and post-colonial theorists.