In the last decade of the twentieth century, anthropology, like many other disciplines, was deeply affected by the revolution in genetic science. Both as a set of methodological tools and as an object of study in its own right, genetics assumed an increasingly important place in anthropological research and practice, presenting new opportunities and new challenges. At the same time, public discourse around genetics intensified, touching on long-held concerns of anthropologists; yet the anthropological voice was not often heard, even when it was sorely needed.

Attachment theory as developed by John Bowlby has since the 1960s stimulated theorizing about the normal and psychopathological development of children, women and men.