Synopses & Reviews
In this fully updated edition of Power and Its Disguises, John Gledhill explores both the complexities of local situations and the power relations that shape the global order. He shows how historically informed anthropological perspectives can contribute to debates about democratisation by incorporating a ‘view from below and revealing forces that shape power relations behind the formal facade of state institutions. Examples are drawn from Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Peru, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Sri Lanka, amongst others.
Review
‘Gledhill manages to cover a lot of ground in drawing out the thematic and theoretical focuses of political anthropology, brilliantly giving them life through a wide variety of empirical examples. ... The book will serve as a very good introduction to political anthropology for any student of power and politics. --Journal of Peace Research
Synopsis
'A very good introduction to political anthropology for any student of power and politics. --Journal of Peace Research
Synopsis
A rethinking of popular political movements, this book looks at new, emerging, mass visions and analyses their impact and potential in new ways.
About the Author
C.W. Watson teaches in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He is editor (with Roy F. Ellen) of Understanding Witchcraft and Sorcery in Southeast Asia (1994) and is the author of Kinship, Property and Inheritance in Kerinci, Central Sumatra (1994).
Table of Contents
Preface To The Second Edition
1 Locating The Political: A Political Anthropology For Today
2 The Origins And Limits Of Coercive Power: The Anthropology Of Stateless Societies
3 From Hierarchy To Surveillance: The Politics Of Agrarian Civilizations And The Rise Of The Western National State
4 The Political Anthropology Of Colonialism: A Study Of Domination And Resistance
5 Post-Colonial States: Legacies Of History And Pressures Of Modernity
6 From Macro-Structure To Micro-Process: Anthropological Analy