Abstract

Some of the most prominent social and cultural anthropologists have come together in this volume to discuss Maurice Godelier’s work. They explore and revisit some of the highly complex practices and structures social scientists encounter in their fieldwork. From the nature–culture debate to the fabrication of hereditary political systems, from transforming gender relations to the problems of the Christianization of indigenous peoples, these chapters demonstrate both the diversity of anthropological topics and the opportunity for constructive dialogue around shared methodological and theoretical models.

Laurent Dousset is Associate Professor at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS) and is former Director of the CREDO (Centre for Research and Documentation on Oceania) in Marseilles. He has done research in Aboriginal Australia and in Vanuatu and has also developed several IT knowledge systems for the social sciences.

“This is an extremely welcome addition to the literature -- unfortunately, too many English-speakers today think of Godelier as a footnote in the history of Marxist anthropology. This volume helps us remember the importance of Godelier as a thinker of the first order and a major bridge between the Anglophone and Francophone anthropology.”  ·  Alex Golub, University of Hawai’i, Manoa

Serge Tcherkézoff is Professor of Anthropology at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris-Marseille. With Maurice Godelier and Pierre Lemonnier, he founded the CREDO (Centre for Research and Documentation on Oceania), a research unit member of CNRS, EHESS and the University of Provence and is currently organising an EHESS Branch at the Australian National University.