Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology (Paradigm)
Everywhere anarchism is on the upswing as a political philosophy--everywhere, that is, except the academy. Anarchists repeatedly appeal to anthropologists for ideas about how society might be reorganized on a more egalitarian, less alienating basis. Anthropologists, terrified of being accused of romanticism, respond with silence . . . . But what if they didn't?
This pamphlet ponders what that response would be, and explores the implications of linking anthropology to anarchism. Here, David Graeber invites readers to imagine this discipline that currently only exists in the realm of possibility: anarchist anthropology.
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Community Reviews
A fantastic piece that teases threads to be followed and doesn't pull any punches in critique of traditional academia. His exposition of the historical synergies between anarchism and anthropology was quite a delightful read, although ironically it left me wanting to read Graves, more so than any actual anarchist or anthropologist.
The concepts of the Identity Machine and Liberation in the Imaginary struck a chord with me, similar in vein to when I read Capitalist Realism by Fisher. It's scary how we don't realize how much of our imagination is limited by the current order, how we do not permit ourselves to even think that things could be otherwise.
The concepts of the Identity Machine and Liberation in the Imaginary struck a chord with me, similar in vein to when I read Capitalist Realism by Fisher. It's scary how we don't realize how much of our imagination is limited by the current order, how we do not permit ourselves to even think that things could be otherwise.
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