Questions of Anthropology (London School of Economics Monographs on Social Anthropology, 76)

Anthropology today seems to shy away from the big, comparative questions that ordinary people in many societies find compelling. Questions of Anthropology brings these issues back to the centre of anthropological concerns. Individual essays explore birth, death and sexuality, puzzles about the relationship between science and religion, questions about the nature of ritual, work, political leadership and genocide, and our personal fears and desires, from the quest to control the future and to find one's "true" identity to the fear of being alone. Each essay starts with a question posed by individual ethnographic experience and then goes on to frame this question in a broader, comparative context. Each Essay In This Book Starts With A Question Posed By Individual Ethnographic Experience And Then Goes On To Frame This Question In A Broader, Comparative Context. Written In An Engaging And Accessible Style, Questions Of Anthropology Presents An Introduction To The Purpose And Value Of Anthropology Today.--jacket. What Does It Mean To Be Alone? / Catherine Allerton -- How Do We Know Who We Are? / Janet Carsten -- What Is Going To Happen Next? / Charles Stafford -- Why, Exactly, Is The World As It Is? / Eva Keller -- How Does Ritual Matter? / Fenella Cannell -- What Makes People Work? / Olivia Harris -- What Kind Of Sex Makes People Happy? / Laura Rival -- How Do Women Give Birth? / Michael Lambek -- What Happens After Death? / Rita Astuti -- How Does Genocide Happen? / Michael Stewart -- Why Are Some People Powerful? / Luke Freeman -- How Do We Know What Is True? / Christina Toren -- Afterword: Questions Of (zafimaniry) Anthropology / Jonathan Parry. Edited By Rita Astuti, Jonathan Parry And Charles Stafford. Papers Were Originally Presented At A Workshop Held At The London School Of Economics, June 2005. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. 4e de couverture : Anthropology today seems to shy away from the big, comparative questions that ordinary people in many societies find compelling. Questions of Anthropology brings these issues back to the center of anthropological concerns. Individual essays explore birth, death and sexuality, puzzles about the relationship between science and religion, questions about the nature of ritual, work, political leadership and genocide, and our personal fears and desires, from the quest to control the future and to find one's 'true' identity to the fear of being alone. Each essay starts with a question posed by individual ethnographic experience and then goes on to frame this question in a broader, comparative context. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Questions of Anthropology presents an exciting introduction to the purpose and value of Anthropology today Anthropology today seems to shy away from the big, comparative questions that ordinary people in many societies find compelling. Questions of Anthropology brings these issues back to the centre of anthropological concerns.Individual essays explore birth, death and sexuality, puzzles about the relationship between science and religion, questions about the nature of ritual, work, political leadership and genocide, and our personal fears and desires, from the quest to control the future and to find one's 'true' identity to the fear of being alone. Each essay starts with a question posed by individual ethnographic experience and then goes on to frame this question in a broader, comparative context. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Questions of Anthropology presents an exciting introduction to the purpose and value of Anthropology today. COVER ......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 6 PREFACE......Page 8 1 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ALONE?......Page 14 2 HOW DO WE KNOW WHO WE ARE?......Page 41 3 WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?......Page 68 4 WHY, EXACTLY, IS THE WORLD AS IT IS?......Page 90 5 HOW DOES RITUAL MATTER?......Page 117 6 WHAT MAKES PEOPLE WORK?......Page 150 7 WHAT KIND OF SEX MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY?......Page 180 8 HOW DO WOMEN GIVE BIRTH?......Page 210 9 WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH?......Page 240 10 HOW DOES GENOCIDE HAPPEN?......Page 262 11 WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE POWERFUL?......Page 294 12 HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT IS TRUE?......Page 320 AFTERWORD QUESTIONS OF (‘ZAFIMANIRY’) ANTHROPOLOGY......Page 350 CONTRIBUTORS......Page 378 INDEX......Page 379 COVER 1 CONTENTS 6 PREFACE 8 1 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ALONE? 14 2 HOW DO WE KNOW WHO WE ARE? 41 3 WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT? 68 4 WHY, EXACTLY, IS THE WORLD AS IT IS? 90 5 HOW DOES RITUAL MATTER? 117 6 WHAT MAKES PEOPLE WORK? 150 7 WHAT KIND OF SEX MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY? 180 8 HOW DO WOMEN GIVE BIRTH? 210 9 WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH? 240 10 HOW DOES GENOCIDE HAPPEN? 262 11 WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE POWERFUL? 294 12 HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT IS TRUE? 320 AFTERWORD QUESTIONS OF (‘ZAFIMANIRY’) ANTHROPOLOGY 350 CONTRIBUTORS 378 INDEX 379 1845207491,9781845207496,9781845207489,1845207483 Berg Publishers