{"product_id":"the-mental-and-the-material-by-maurice-godelier-9781844677900","title":"The Mental and the Material","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Mental and the Material\u003c\/em\u003e is a pivotal contribution to understanding these complex processes and offers groundbreaking insights into the forces that shape social order. Through Godelier’s profound analysis, readers are invited to explore the intricate dynamics that define human societies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47995612201196,"sku":"9781844677900","price":28.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781844677900-the-mental-and-the-material.jpg?v=1784898570","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/the-mental-and-the-material-by-maurice-godelier-9781844677900","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}