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The Mental and the Material
Thought Economy and Society
Series: Radical Thinkers
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The Mental and the Material
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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?
Ideal for readers interested in philosophy, social theory, anthropology, and the critical examination of human society and culture.
Groundbreaking examination of the relationship between thought, economy and society.
Groundbreaking examination of the relationship between thought, economy and society
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
What is the specificity of the human race within nature? How is its history to be explained? What impact do material realities, natural and man-made, have on human beings? What role does thought, in all its dimensions, play in the production of social relations? How are the human sciences to be advanced today? These are among the crucial questions confronted by Godelier in this key book of contemporary social theory.
Its point of departure lies in a fact and a hypothesis. The fact: in contrast to other social animals, human beings do not just live in society; they produce society in order to live. The hypothesis: because they have the unique capacity to appropriate and transform nature, they produce culture and create history.
Drawing on his own extensive fieldwork and ranging over the most diverse ethnographic data, Godelier substantiates his case by attending to the analysis of both social relations of production and the production of social relations. In a sustained challenge to currently dominant schemas, he offers a series of highly original theses on the constitution, reproduction, and transformation of societies.
He recasts the distinction between infrastructure and superstructures, illuminates the relations between economic determination and political/ideological dominance, and clarifies the character of ideology and its central role in the perpetuation of dominance and exploitation.
The Mental and the Material is a pivotal contribution to understanding these complex processes and offers groundbreaking insights into the forces that shape social order. Through Godelierβs profound analysis, readers are invited to explore the intricate dynamics that define human societies.
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The Mental and the Material
What is the specificity of the human race within nature? How is its history to be explained? What impact do material realities, natural and man-made, have on human beings? What role does thought, in all its dimensions, play in the production of social relations? How are the human sciences to be advanced today? These are among the crucial questions confronted...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
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?
New Statesman describes it as engaging and intriguing, suggesting the book revitalises anthropology and stimulates fresh debate within the social sciences.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781844677900
Publisher: Verso Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 16 January 2012
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Verso Books
Edition: 2nd edition
Contributors:
- Translated by Martin Thom
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 20.0mm
Width: 132.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 300g
Pages: 266
About the Author
Maurice Godelier is a world-renowned anthropologist. Among the many honours he has received are the CNRS Gold Medal and the Alexander von Humbolt prize. His major works include The Making of Great Men, Metamorphoses of Kinship, The Enigma of the Gift, In and Out of the West, and more recently LΓ©vi-Strauss: A Critical Study of His Thought.
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