Emeritus Prof David Lancy featured in Opinion Piece in 'The New York Times'

David Lancy, emeritus professor of anthropology at Utah State University, was featured in The New York Times Sunday, Jan. 31, edition in an opinion piece titled “The Only Baby Book You’ll Ever Need.”

The article referenced Lancy’s book The Anthropology of Childhood: Cherubs, Chattel, Changelings, which is about to be published in a second edition.

(Read The New York Times piece online.)

Other reviewers had much the same opinion, which was first published in 2008.

“David Lancy’s ‘The Anthropology of Childhood’ was essential the moment it appeared; the second edition is even better! He has digested the survey material even more, used updated materials, and held back less on his criticism of contemporary Euro-American childrearing.” — Susan D. Blum, University of Notre Dame

“… the most comprehensive, and perhaps only, review of the human child in terms of evolutionary biology and sociocultural anthropology. Based on the best of theory and field ethnography, it is essential for any study of human development and human nature.” — Barry Bogin, Loughborough University

“The scholarship in this book is incredibly sound and thorough in breadth and scope.” — Rebecca Zarger, University of South Florida

“If I were to assign just one book as required reading for students of child psychology, this would be it. It opens our all-too-parochial eyes to childhood's possibilities.” — Peter Gray, Boston College

“… a valuable forum to better understand childhood as a rapidly growing sub-field of anthropology.” — Akira Takada, Kyoto University

“This revised version of the volume is very welcome, providing students, teachers and generalists who are interested in the subject with a broad overview of the anthropology of childhood, supported by a comprehensive and helpfully interdisciplinary bibliography.” — Sally Crawford FSA, The University of Oxford.

Lancy has authored eight books and more than 60 articles, chapters and reviews in major, peer-reviewed journals such as American Anthropologist. Two of his earlier books have attracted worldwide attention, one being cited more than 400 times and the other having more than 600 citations. The Anthropology of Childhood: Cherubs, Chattel Changelings helped launch a new sub-discipline in anthropology.

Lancy was the 2011 recipient of the D. Wynne Thorne Career Research Award, USU’s most prestigious faculty research accolade. In 2001, he received the prestigious Carnegie Professor of the Year Award for the state of Utah. He has also mentored graduate and undergraduate students and served as director of the USU Honors program from 1997-2005.