Surrendering to Utopia

An Anthropology of Human Rights

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Surrendering to Utopia by Mark Goodale, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mark Goodale ISBN: 9780804771214
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: May 1, 2009
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Mark Goodale
ISBN: 9780804771214
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: May 1, 2009
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

Surrendering to Utopia is a critical and wide-ranging study of anthropology's contributions to human rights. Providing a unique window into the underlying political and intellectual currents that have shaped human rights in the postwar period, this ambitious work opens up new opportunities for research, analysis, and political action. At the book's core, the author describes a "well-tempered human rights"—an orientation to human rights in the twenty-first century that is shaped by a sense of humility, an appreciation for the disorienting fact of multiplicity, and a willingness to make the mundaneness of social practice a source of ethical inspiration. In examining the curious history of anthropology's engagement with human rights, this book moves from more traditional anthropological topics within the broader human rights community—for example, relativism and the problem of culture—to consider a wider range of theoretical and empirical topics. Among others, it examines the link between anthropology and the emergence of "neoliberal" human rights, explores the claim that anthropology has played an important role in legitimizing these rights, and gauges whether or not this is evidence of anthropology's potential to transform human rights theory and practice more generally.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Surrendering to Utopia is a critical and wide-ranging study of anthropology's contributions to human rights. Providing a unique window into the underlying political and intellectual currents that have shaped human rights in the postwar period, this ambitious work opens up new opportunities for research, analysis, and political action. At the book's core, the author describes a "well-tempered human rights"—an orientation to human rights in the twenty-first century that is shaped by a sense of humility, an appreciation for the disorienting fact of multiplicity, and a willingness to make the mundaneness of social practice a source of ethical inspiration. In examining the curious history of anthropology's engagement with human rights, this book moves from more traditional anthropological topics within the broader human rights community—for example, relativism and the problem of culture—to consider a wider range of theoretical and empirical topics. Among others, it examines the link between anthropology and the emergence of "neoliberal" human rights, explores the claim that anthropology has played an important role in legitimizing these rights, and gauges whether or not this is evidence of anthropology's potential to transform human rights theory and practice more generally.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book Copts and the Security State by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book Transparency in Postwar France by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book Worlding America by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book The Case of Mistress Mary Hampson by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book Jewish Rights, National Rites by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book The Politics of Rights and the 1911 Revolution in China by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book Islam in the Balance by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book Pledges of Jewish Allegiance by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book Having It All in the Belle Epoque by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book The Future and Its Enemies by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book A New Era in U.S. Health Care by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book Reducing Uncertainty by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book Beyond Great Powers and Hegemons by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book The Chinese and the Iron Road by Mark Goodale
Cover of the book Working the Night Shift by Mark Goodale
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy