Instructor: Eleanor Finley. PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, UMass Amherst
Summary: This class explores the affinity and complementarity between social ecology and the modern social science discipline of anthropology. Students will gain familiarity with the anthropological concepts, frameworks, and empirical claims woven throughout the works of Murray Bookchin, such as his conceptions of hierarchy, civilization, and stateless “organic society.”
Students will also gain a foundation in the history and central concepts and concerns of radical anthropology from the 1960s to the present. This course is book-ended by two central texts: Bookchin’s 1982 volume The Ecology of Freedom and David Graeber’s and David Wengrow’s book, The Dawn of Everything, (2021). Together, we will look for parallels, tensions, and contradictions, using new archaeological insights as a sounding board against Bookchin’s earlier conclusions.
This course is open to all. As with all ISE courses, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Contact social-ecology@mail.mayfirst.org if you need a course fee waiver to be able to participate.
