The second edition of this revolutionary new anthropology textbook retains its commitment of honest involvement of students in anthropology, challenging them to understand their own lives in anthropological terms, and urging them to live lives dedicated to social justice. Students who read the first edition were prepared to understand the financial fraud and economic meltdown that began about a year after the book was published in 2007, the failure of many financial and government institutions, and the war in Iraq as well as the infighting that has characterized the U.S. labor movement. In the second edition, we explain these developments and how students can understand them as anthropologists. Some eventualities the book foresaw have not yet materialized but have been more widely recognized as problems that require solutions, for instance, the reliance on fossil fuels. We have updated those sections without pulling any punches or supposing that a new administration in Washington is sufficient to solve these deeply rooted structural problems. In the new edition, we take advantage of a number of new studies that have been published on Al-Qaeda, fundamentalism, and American culture.

In light of the 2008 presidential election, we have revised our discussion of conservative politics in the U.S. to suggest that the interesting phenomenon is not the victory of an avowedly liberal candidate, but, given the dire circumstances of the country, the narrowness of that victory. This is an opportune moment to re-emphasize our analysis of structural racism rather than indulge in premature congratulation. The 2008 election did not indicate a change in the ideological direction of the U.S., but illustrated the power of successful organization at all levels combined with political savvy that was careful not to alienate moneyed interests. 'œOrganize' is one of the messages of the first edition, and this election provides us with a very powerful illustration.

We also discuss how neoliberal policy was responsible for the meltdown of the Icelandic economy.