Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology [Paperback]

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.

David Graeberis an assistant professor of anthropology at Yale University. He has published widely on his research in Madagascar and on anthropological theories of value.

Section 1
Section 2: Graves, Brown, Mauss, Sorel
Section 3: The anarchist anthropology that almost already does exist
Section 4: Blowing Up Walls
Section 5: Tenets of a Non-existent Science
Section 6
Section 7: Anthropology (in which the author somewhat reluctantly bites the hand that feeds him)

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.