Power And Its Disguises - Second Edition: Anthropological Perspectives On Politics (anthropology, Culture And Society)

Preface to the Second Edition vii 1. Locating the political: a political anthropology for today 1 How not to use the West as a point of departure 8 The distinctiveness of the modern state 15 Wider implications of historical discontinuity 18 Political anthropology reconstituted 20 2. The origins and limits of coercive power: the anthropology of stateless societies 23 The externalization of the political as the negation of power 27 Sexual politics in stateless societies 32 Civilization, mother of barbarism 38 ‘Stateless societies’ under the modern state 41 3. From hierarchy to surveillance: the politics of agrarian civilizations and the rise of the Western national state 45 Political systems in theories of European development 48 A specifically European dynamic? 51 Agrarian civilization outside Europe 58 4. The political anthropology of colonialism: a study of domination and resistance 67 Structural-functionalist political anthropology as a child of its time 69 The colonial process as an object of analysis 71 Cracks in the structures: the anthropology of resistance 77 5. Post-colonial states: legacies of history and pressures of modernity 92 Regime variation in post-independence Africa 94 Deep politics: the state and civil society 100 v Power relations in the shadow state 103 ‘Democratization’ in Latin America 105 Mexico: democratization versus the shadow state and militarization 110 Indigenous peoples and the state in Mexico and Guatemala 119 6. From macro-structure to micro-process: anthropological analysis of political practice 127 Getting at structure through events 130 Politics as the activity of ‘political men’ 135 The autonomy of the political field and its symbolic practices 138 Insidious strategies of power 149 7. Political process and ‘global disorder’: perspectives on contemporary conflict and violence 153 Expanding capitalism, declining empires 154 Cultural globalization and power relations161 From the fantasies of ‘Senderology’ to the roots of political violence in Peru 167 Sri Lanka: constructing new orders through violence 177 8. Society against the modern state? The politics of social movements 184 Social movements theory: the need for scepticism 185 Alternative modernities196 Cultural politics and political constructions of culture 199 Popular politics and the politicization of gender 205 9. Anthropology and politics: commitment, responsibility and the academy 214 The politics of anthropological knowledge production: some initial dilemmas215 Acting on the basis of knowledge 221 Commitment at the grassroots 227 From knowledge to wisdom? 234 Power and its disguises 238 Bibliography 243 Index 259 In This Fully Updated Edition Of Power And Its Disguises, John Gledhill Explores Both The Complexities Of Local Situations And The Power Relations That Shape The Global Order. He Shows How Historically Informed Anthropological Perspectives Can Contribute To Debates About Democratisation By Incorporating A View From Below And Revealing Forces That Shape Power Relations Behind The Formal Facade Of State Institutions. Examples Are Drawn From Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Guatemala, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Peru, Sierra Leone, South Africa And Sri Lanka, Amongst Others. 1. Locating The Political: A Political Anthropology For Today -- 2. The Origins And Limits Of Coercive Power: The Anthropology Of Stateless Societies -- 3. From Hierarchy To Surveillance: The Politics Of Agrarian Civilizations And The Rise Of The Western National State -- 4. The Political Anthropology Of Colonialism: A Study Of Domination And Resistance -- 5. Post-colonial States: Legacies Of History And Pressures Of Modernity -- 6. From Macro-structure To Micro-process: Anthropological Analysis Of Political Practice -- 7. Political Process And 'global Disorder': Perspectives On Contemporary Conflict And Violence -- 8. Society Against The Modern State? The Politics Of Social Movements -- 9. Anthropology And Politics: Commitment, Responsibility And The Academy. John Gledhill. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 243-258) And Index. Completely revised and expanded, this new edition of Power and Its Disguises explores both the complexities of local situations and the power relations that shape the global order. The book begins by analyzing the politics of societies without indigenous states and non-Western agrarian civilizations in order to confront the politics of domination and resistance within the colonial contexts that gave birth to the discipline.The author then examines the contemporary politics of Africa, Asia and Latin America, showing that historically informed anthropological perspectives can contribute to debates about democratization by incorporating a "view from below" and revealing forces that shape power relations behind the formal facade of state institutions.The book shows how the study of microdynamics of power in everyday life coupled with sensitivity to the interactions between the local and global offers critical insights into such issues as state terror and ethnic violence, the emancipatory potential of social movements and the politics of rights, gender and culture. 'Gledhill manages to cover a lot of ground in drawing out the thematic and theoretical focuses of political anthropology, brilliantly giving them life through a wide variety of empirical examples. ... The book will serve as a very good introduction to political anthropology for any student of power and politics.' Journal of Peace ResearchIn this fully updated edition of Power and Its Disguises, John Gledhill explores both the complexities of local situations and the power relations that shape the global order. He shows how historically informed anthropological perspectives can contribute to debates about democratisation by incorporating a 'view from below' and revealing forces that shape power relations behind the formal facade of state institutions. Examples are drawn from Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Peru, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Sri Lanka, amongst others
In this fully updated edition of Power and Its Disguises, John Gledhill explores both the complexities of local situations and the power relations that shape the global order. He shows how historically informed anthropological perspectives can contribute to debates about democratisation by incorporating a ‘view from below’ and revealing forces that shape power relations behind the formal facade of state institutions. Examples are drawn from Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Peru, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Sri Lanka, amongst others. This book explores both the complexities of local situations and the power relations that shape the global order. He shows how historically informed anthropological perspectives can contribute to debates about democratisation by incorporating a 'view from below' and revealing forces that shape power relations behind the formal facade of state institutions.

Examples are drawn from Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Peru, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Sri Lanka, amongst others. Half a century ago, the subject matter and relevance of political anthropology still seemed relatively easy to define.