Review by Choice Review
Anthropological studies often emphasize the individual/tribal continuum, with little attention paid to the "middle-level" social unit. Rocek here attempts to analyze the broader aspects of these larger social units in cultural adaptation. The interrelationship of individual, family, extended family, and group cooperation is truly a "tangled web," made even more complex when applied to the Navajo culture. Rocek does an exemplary job in weaving this social tapestry into understandable form. His approach is eclectic; environment cannot be disassociated from history, families from resident locations, etc. Rocek measures these social dynamics against growth, pastoralism, and increased market economy, and relates all these factors to spatial human behavior. The book is quite pedantic, including history, background, graphs, and descriptions, with accompanying analyses. Neither all data nor Rocek's conclusion are new, but the succinct quality of this one-volume assessment is helpful. Moreover, his study does support his thesis, and sums up the place of multihousehold units not only among the Navajo but also as a universal cultural trait. Upper-division undergraduates and above. F. G. Bock; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
