by Gillian Tett
First published 2021
Anthropology offers a powerful lens for understanding human behavior in contemporary settings. Gillian Tett, a Financial Times journalist with a PhD in anthropology, demonstrates how anthropological methods can illuminate patterns in business, consumer habits, and workplace dynamics. She examines how traditional fieldwork techniques reveal the hidden cultural forces that drive shopping decisions, the rise of green investment, and team cohesion in offices. Tett draws on diverse examples from Tajik villages to Amazon warehouses, from Japanese classrooms to Wall Street trading floors. Her approach moves beyond big data to embrace the complexity of human motivations and social structures. The book shows readers how to apply anthropological thinking to their own decision making, risk assessment, and understanding of peer behavior. Tett argues for expanding our analytical vision to include cultural context and social meaning alongside quantitative analysis.
Genres: social-science, business, sociology, economics, anthropology, non-fiction
Vibes: analytical, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: analytical, interdisciplinary, real-world-application
Setting: Amazon, Japan, Tajikistan, Wall Street
Period: Contemporary
304 pages · Hardcover · Random House Business