Thomas Hylland Eriksen is professor in the department of social anthropology at the University of Oslo. His latest book for Pluto Press is Fredrik Barth: An Intellectual Biography. Other books include What is Anthropology? (Pluto Press, 2004); Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology (Pluto Press, 3rd edition, 2010); and Ethnicity and Nationalism: Anthropological Perspectives (Pluto Press, 3rd edition, 2010). His website is here.