For graduate students and researchers in anthropological theory, this book offers a renewal of social theory through anthropological concepts such as liminality, trickster, imitation, schismogenesis, participation, and gift relations, by revisiting the rise of the modern world and its sociology via key ideas developed by 'maverick' anthropologists.
A Political Anthropology of Liminal Technicality
Exploring the intersection of science and magic, this book delves into the origins of scientific thought and its evolution. It examines how the quest to apply scientific principles to address human challenges has led to an ongoing state of liminality, reflecting the complexities and contradictions inherent in the scientific endeavor. Through a political anthropological lens, it highlights the challenges faced in reconciling scientific aspirations with the realities of human experience.
A Historical Sociology and Political Anthropology of Walking
Exploring walking as a significant formative experience, this book combines historical sociology and political anthropology to examine its transformative power. It employs genealogical methods and the concept of liminality to connect walking with pilgrimage and rites of passage. The text provides a historical survey of walking's role in both settled and mass societies, offering insights into modernity's challenges while reconnecting with humanity's past. This innovative work is aimed at scholars across various social science disciplines.
Politics is presented as a transformative alchemical process, where identities are reshaped to effect change. The book highlights the pervasive use of alchemical techniques in contemporary political phenomena and examines how their application has intensified over time. Through this lens, it offers insight into the intricate relationship between identity and political dynamics.
It is widely asserted that we are now living in a post-truth society. What that means, this book argues, is that the contemporary world is thoroughly infested by a trickster logic - an argument advanced by the claim that in modernity liminality has become permanent; or that modern life is patently absurd.
Exploring the concept of modernity, the book delves into the enduring liminality of contemporary life by examining the nature of evil through the lens of the 'trickster.' This paradoxical figure, viewed as both an outcast and a cultural hero, serves as a focal point for understanding the complexities of human behavior and societal norms. The anthropological perspective enriches the discussion, offering fresh insights into the interplay between culture and morality.