Thomas Hylland Eriksen
I am a professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo. Although I continue to write about identity politics, the creole world and cultural dynamics in complex societies, my recent research has concerned local responses to accelerated change and global crises across the world. Using the metaphor of "overheating", I am interested in accelerated (but uneven) change and ways of dealing with it. The many books from the project include the theoretical "Overheating" and the ethnographic ‘’Boomtown" about runaway globalisation in an Australian city. More info about this research project, which officially ended in 2017, at
http://www.uio.no/overheating
In my present work, I combine interdisciplinary inclinations and work on accelerated change with a renewed engagement with the creole world, and am collaborating with colleagues in Mauritius and Seychelles to this effect. In Seychelles, we are establishing a research network on the characteristics of small scale in the current world system. As regards Mauritius, Dr Ramola Ramtohul and I edited "The Mauritian Paradox" in 2018, looking back at the first half-century of independence and ahead towards the next fifty years. I also work with Marek Jakoubek and Lenka Budilova at the Charles University (Prague) on issues to do with identity and ethnicity in and beyond Europe, and Marek and I edited "Ethnic Groups and Boundaries Today" in 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of Barth's "Ethnic Groups and Boundaries".
My personal homepage can be found at
http://hyllanderiksen.net
I also have an academia.edu website at
https://thomaseriksen.academia.edu
I am currently doing research on the impact of globalisation on cultural and biological diversity. Many of my concerns — from ecology to creolisation — come together in my forthcoming book on these issues. It will be a drama in three or possibly four acts.
http://www.uio.no/overheating
In my present work, I combine interdisciplinary inclinations and work on accelerated change with a renewed engagement with the creole world, and am collaborating with colleagues in Mauritius and Seychelles to this effect. In Seychelles, we are establishing a research network on the characteristics of small scale in the current world system. As regards Mauritius, Dr Ramola Ramtohul and I edited "The Mauritian Paradox" in 2018, looking back at the first half-century of independence and ahead towards the next fifty years. I also work with Marek Jakoubek and Lenka Budilova at the Charles University (Prague) on issues to do with identity and ethnicity in and beyond Europe, and Marek and I edited "Ethnic Groups and Boundaries Today" in 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of Barth's "Ethnic Groups and Boundaries".
My personal homepage can be found at
http://hyllanderiksen.net
I also have an academia.edu website at
https://thomaseriksen.academia.edu
I am currently doing research on the impact of globalisation on cultural and biological diversity. Many of my concerns — from ecology to creolisation — come together in my forthcoming book on these issues. It will be a drama in three or possibly four acts.
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' A masterful introduction to the wide range of subjects studied by anthropologists as well as to the distinctive perspectives they bring to bear on these matters. '-Vered Amit, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Concordia University '
In almost three decades since it was first published, this book has evolved with its subject, magnificently corroborating its author's thesis, that the best anthropology addresses timeless themes of the human condition through a relentless focus on the contemporary. In a novelty-obsessed age, Eriksen's encyclopaedic tour of comparative anthropology teaches us to build on classical foundations. This is not just another book in the library of anthropology; it is an entire anthropological library in one book. '
ISBN: 978-1-80073-189-9 (hardcover), but the whole book can be downloaded for free here or at Berghahn's website.
Lucid and accessible, What is Anthropology? draws examples from current affairs as well as previous anthropological studies. He looks at the history of anthropology, its unique research methods and some of its central concepts, such as society, culture and translation.
This second edition contains a new introduction, as well as updates throughout. New content includes discussions about Brexit, the rise of the populist Right in Europe, the anthropology of climate change and social media. What is Anthropology? shows in persuasive ways why anthropology is a fundamental intellectual discipline, perhaps more so in the 21st century than ever before.
In this groundbreaking book, Thomas Hylland Eriksen breathes new life into the discussion around global modernity, bringing an anthropologist’s approach to bear on the three interrelated crises of environment, economy and identity. He argues that although these crises are global in scope, they are perceived and responded to locally, and that contradictions abound between the standardising forces of information-age global capitalism and the socially embedded nature of people and local practices.
Carefully synthesising the ethnographic and comparative methods of anthropology with macrosocial and historical material, offers an innovative new perspective on issues including energy use, urbanisation, deprivation, human (im)mobility, and the spread of interconnected, wireless information technology.
Contributors to the book are Ben Campbell, Elisabeth Schober, Desmond McNeill, Christina Garsten and Thomas Hylland Eriksen. Art direction and technical expertise by Maria Kartveit.