"Michael Taussig's works are known not only for their critical insights, but also for their bold and experimental style. In these essays, Taussig finds himself reflecting on the act of writing itself, revealing its importance for anthropological practiceand calling for the discipline to keep experiential knowledge from extinguishing as fieldnotes become scholarship. Taussig calls for and exemplifies a form of exploratory writing that preserves the spontaneity and magic of notes scribbled down in haste. His reflections take us from his childhood in Sydney to trips to Afghanistan, Colombia, Finland, Italy, Turkey, and Syria. Along the way, Taussig also explores themes of fabulation and provocation that are central to his work, in addition to the thinkers dearest to him--Bataille, Benjamin, Burroughs, and Nietzsche, among others. This collection is vintage Taussig, bound to interest longtime readers and newcomers alike"--
A new collection of essays reflecting on the centrality of writing anthropological practice from one of the discipline’s most influential thinkers.
Michael Taussig’s work is known for its critical insights and bold, experimental style. In the eleven essays in this new collection, Taussig reflects on the act of writing itself, demonstrating its importance for anthropological practice and calling for the discipline to keep experiential knowledge from being extinguished as fieldnotes become scholarship.
Setting out to show how this can be done, And the Garden Is You exemplifies a form of exploratory writing that preserves the spontaneity of notes scribbled down in haste. In these essays, the author’s reflections take us from his childhood in Sydney to trips to Afghanistan, Colombia, Finland, Italy, Turkey, and Syria. Along the way, Taussig explores themes of fabulation and provocation that are central to his life’s work, in addition to the thinkers dearest to him—Bataille, Benjamin, Burroughs, and Nietzsche, among others. This collection is vintage Taussig, bound to interest longtime readers and newcomers alike.
