Some anthropologists argue that framing cultural differences as "problems" to be "solved" inadvertently reinforces a Western technocratic view—that everything is a puzzle to be fixed by logic. However, Robbins generally sidesteps this by treating the "problems" as contradictions in the student's worldview, rather than problems inherent to the culture being studied.
Haviland and Kottak are encyclopedic (tell you culture). Robbins is forensic (asks you to do culture). If your class is discussion-based, use Robbins. If it’s multiple-choice exams, use Kottak. Robbins is forensic (asks you to do culture)
Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach - Amazon.com Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach - Amazon
Maya stared at her laptop screen. On it: Robbins’ Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach , Chapter 3 PDF—open to a section titled “The Problem of Economic Inequality.” Not a lecture. Not a list of kinship terms. A problem . climate change that shortened rains
At the third town meeting, Maya presented her findings. Not a solution—but a web of causes: neoliberal trade policies that made corn cheap, climate change that shortened rains, land reforms that left ejidos land-rich but cash-poor.