After the Crisis by Carrier, James G.;

Short description:

After the Crisis: Anthropological Thought, Neoliberalism and the Aftermath offers a thought-provoking examination of the state of contemporary anthropology, identifying key issues that have confronted the discipline in recent years and linking them to neoliberalism. The volume explores the effect of the economic crisis on funding and support for higher education, and addresses the sense that anthropology has ‘lost its way’, with uncertainty over the purpose and future of the discipline. Carrier considers how anthropology has come to resemble key elements of neoliberalism and neoclassical economics in rejecting the idea of system in favour of individuals. He also suggests how the discipline can overcome its difficulties and place itself on a firmer foundation.

Long description:

After the Crisis: Anthropological Thought, Neoliberalism and the Aftermath offers a thought-provoking examination of the state of contemporary anthropology, identifying key issues that have confronted the discipline in recent years and linking them to neoliberalism, and suggesting how we might do things differently in the future. The first part of the volume considers how anthropology has come to resemble, as a result of the rise of postmodern and poststructural approaches in the field, key elements of neoliberalism and neoclassical economics by rejecting the idea of system in favour of individuals. It also investigates the effect of the economic crisis on funding and support for higher education and addresses the sense that anthropology has ‘lost its way’, with uncertainty over the purpose and future of the discipline. The second part of the book explores how the discipline can overcome its difficulties and place itself on a firmer foundation, suggesting ways that we can productively combine the debates of the late twentieth century with a renewed sense that people live their lives not as individuals, but as enmeshed in webs of relationship and obligation.

Table of Contents:

Introduction – James G. Carrier  

Part I: The Crisis

  Introduction – James G. Carrier 

 1 Anthropology in neoliberalism – James G. Carrier 

 2 Anthropology and neoliberalism – James G. Carrier 

 3 Neoliberal anthropology – James G. Carrier 

  Conclusion – James G. Carrier 

Part II: And After

  Introduction – James G. Carrier 

 4 History, power and the rise of the United States ruling class – Michael Blim 

 5 Migration and insecurity: rethinking mobility in the neoliberal age – Jeffrey H. Cohen and Ibrahim Sirkeci 

 6 Looking for a place to stand: theory, field and holism in contemporary anthropology – Sabina Stan 

 7 Seriously enough? Describing or analysing the Native(s)’s Point of View – Eduardo Dullo 

 8 A critical anthropology for the present –
Jeff Maskovsky and Ida Susser 

Conclusion – Josiah Heyman