The Problem of the Fetish

Name: The Problem of the Fetish
Brand: Unknown
SKU: 9780226821818
Price: 52.99 NZD
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By William Pietz

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Summary

The Problem of the Fetish presents a groundbreaking account of the origins and history of fetishism, tracing its roots from Portuguese colonisation of West Africa through Enlightenment thought and beyond. William Pietz's collected essays explore how the fetish emerged as a foundational concept in theories of value, belief, desire, and difference, linking material culture, object agency, merchant capitalism, and spiritual power.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$52⁹⁹

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The Problem of the Fetish

$52⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This work is ideal for readers interested in anthropology, history, cultural studies, and critical theory, especially those exploring the intersections of colonial history, economics, and spiritual beliefs.

Description

A groundbreaking account of the origins and history of the idea of fetishism.

In recent decades, William Pietz’s innovative history of the idea of the fetish has become a cult classic. Gathered here, for the first time, is his complete series of essays on fetishism, supplemented by three texts on Marx, blood sacrifice, and the money value of human life.

Tracing the idea of the fetish from its origins in the Portuguese colonisation of West Africa to its place in Enlightenment thought and beyond, Pietz reveals the violent emergence of a foundational concept for modern theories of value, belief, desire, and difference.

The Problem of the Fetish cements Pietz’s legacy of engaging questions about material culture, object agency, merchant capitalism, and spiritual power, and introduces a powerful theorist to a new generation of thinkers.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

"Whoever is interested in the material interweaving of concepts... will find in William Pietz's book not only a rigorously documented history of the term, but also a basis for pursuing many paths in social sciences." – Anne Lafont, History of European Ideas

"A remarkable contribution to anthropological, ethnographical and political literature." – Contemporary Political Theory

"Pietz’s dazzling investigation of the fetish as an enigma of power... binds together colonial history, merchant capital, anthropology, and group psychology. Indispensable reading in our era of disaster capitalism and commodity terrorism." – David L. Eng, University of Pennsylvania

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780226821818

Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 18 November 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: University of Chicago Press

Illustration: 7 halftones

Contributors:

Edited by Francesco Pellizzi
Edited by Stefanos Geroulanos
Edited by Ben Kafka

Audience: General / adult, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 399g

Pages: 272

Collections

Health & Wellness Non-Fiction Self-Help & Personal Development William Pietz

About the Author

William Pietz is an intellectual historian and political activist. Francesco Pellizzi is the cofounder and editor of RES: Journal of Anthropology and Aesthetics. Stefanos Geroulanos is professor of history at New York University and the author of several books, including (with Todd Meyers) The Human Body in the Age of Catastrophe. Ben Kafka is a psychoanalyst and associate professor of media, culture, and communication at New York University. He is the author of The Demon of Writing.