The Power of the Between: An Anthropological Odyssey
Paul Stoller
Abstract
It is the anthropologist's fate to always be between things: countries, languages, cultures, even realities. But rather than lament this, the author celebrates the creative power of the between, showing how it can transform us, changing our conceptions of who we are, what we know, and how we live in the world. Beginning with his early days with the Peace Corps in Africa and culminating with a recent bout with cancer, this book is an evocative account of the circuitous path the author's life has taken, offering a fascinating depiction of how a career is shaped over decades of reading and resear ... More
It is the anthropologist's fate to always be between things: countries, languages, cultures, even realities. But rather than lament this, the author celebrates the creative power of the between, showing how it can transform us, changing our conceptions of who we are, what we know, and how we live in the world. Beginning with his early days with the Peace Corps in Africa and culminating with a recent bout with cancer, this book is an evocative account of the circuitous path the author's life has taken, offering a fascinating depiction of how a career is shaped over decades of reading and research. He imparts his accumulated wisdom not through grandiose pronouncements but by drawing on his gift for storytelling. Tales of his apprenticeship to a sorcerer in Niger, his studies with Claude Lévi–Strauss in Paris, and his friendships with West African street vendors in New York City accompany philosophical reflections on love, memory, power, courage, health, and illness. Graced with humor and narrative elegance, this book is both the story of a distinguished career and a profound meditation on coming to terms with the impermanence of all things.
Keywords:
anthropologist,
languages,
Peace Corps,
sorcerer,
Niger,
Africa,
New York City,
impermanence,
Claude Lévi–Strauss,
Paris
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2008 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780226775340 |
| Published to Chicago Scholarship Online: March 2013 |
DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226775364.001.0001 |
