Azande (chapter 1)
The Azande chapter includes a new section "Witchcraft and HIV," demonstrating the ways in which Zande beliefs and practices wield powerful explanatory power regarding HIV/AIDS. It also includes updated information about sociopolitical challenges in South Sudan since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005, including the referendum on secession and complexities of displaced persons and returnees.

Haiti (chapter 4)
This edition includes a new section on the January 2010 Haitian earthquake and its aftermath. The chapter also includes updated information about the rural-urban balance, remittances from diasporic populations, and the contested 2010 presidential election.

The Kaluli (Chapter 7)
This chapter includes a new section, "Logging, Land, and Loss," which discusses the consequences of environmental degradation.

The Trobriand Islanders (Chapter 14)
This chapter includes three new sections. The first addresses Trobriand social and political organization, "The Substance of Personhood: Kumila and Dala." The second is a section about Trobriand magic, highlighting the differing perspectives of Malinowski and Weiner, and linking magical spells to clan organization. The third, "AIDS in the Trobriands: Sovasova and the Sickness of Sameness" uses HIV/AIDS to demonstrate the ways in which illnesses are experienced and explained in their local settings, using local frameworks.