An Anthropology of Human Possibilities ---- David Graeber would
undoubtedly have been outraged and stood firmly against the grim
policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. They are a caricature of
everything Graeber denounced throughout his books and activist work. The
Presses Universitaires de Lyon have had the good fortune to publish two
works devoted to the thought of this American anthropologist, anarchist
militant, and key figure of the Occupy Wall Street movement. ---- The
first, presented by Véronique Dutraive, is titled Value, Politics and
Democracy in the United States; the second is Thinking and Acting with
David Graeber. For reasons of readability and accessibility, it is
advisable to begin with the first, which is relatively short (around 80
pages). Its very title highlights its relevance. It contains a biography
of David Graeber, underlining his modest origins, his activist
commitments alongside his intellectual reflections.
It is a good introduction to Graeber's complex body of work. His ideas
span "a wide field touching on sociology, economics, politics and
philosophy." Beyond his academic recognition, he also gained a global
reputation in circles that contest the current economic order, as well
as among the general public. He is regarded as one of the most
significant intellectuals of the early 21st century in the social sciences.
Graeber still calls on us today!
The starting point of his 2011 reflection was this question: why did the
American working class vote for the Republican George W. Bush rather
than the Democrat John Kerry? Readers can easily draw parallels to the
current situation in the United States. It seems the Democrats have
taken refuge in values that are more societal than social. Disadvantaged
classes, finding no response to their immediate concerns in this
discourse, have turned to traditional, almost mythical American
values-even if illusory. Graeber reflects on the debate between altruism
and selfishness. He also distinguishes between "value" in terms of money
and the political, artistic, family, and more collective "values." The
working classes feel excluded from access to the latter. His analysis of
the relationship to Pierre Bourdieu's theories is insightful, as is his
reference to Mauss's notion of the gift. Graeber also highlights
widespread distrust toward the political-managerial class, the state,
and its bureaucracy. This translates into the weakening of American
democracy. Readers can project these analyses onto U.S. political life
today, or even onto French politics. His wife, Nika Dubrovsky, presents
their shared reflections in Another Art World regarding the lack of
esteem felt by the working class toward the elites who monopolize
"useful and altruistic careers" from which they feel culturally and
economically excluded. She underlines the brutality of unfulfilled
promises made to this class, especially in the artistic field.
Is Another World Possible?
The second book, also published by the Presses Universitaires de Lyon,
is titled Thinking and Acting with David Graeber. It gathers, under the
direction of Véronique Dutraive, the contributions of anthropologists,
archaeologists, political scientists, and philosophers engaged in
continuing the dual dialogue David Graeber sought to build between the
humanities and social sciences on one hand, and political as well as
academic activism on the other. The book's subtitle is telling of its
purpose: Building Bridges between the Social Sciences.
The first part of the book explores Graeber's contributions to
anthropology, economics, and sociology. He "encourages us to believe
that another, better world is possible-not merely as an idealist, but as
an anthropologist of human possibilities." Concerning economics, he
debunks myths such as the barter fable, examines the reality of debt,
and analyzes bureaucracy in corporations. He denounces the
instrumentalization of economics by politics and questions the moral
dimension of the economy in its relationship to politics. Post-Keynesian
in his orientation, he emphasizes the state's role as a regulator of the
market. The opposition between market and state, he argues, is absurd.
Another essay analyzes the scientific style of Graeber's anarchist
anthropology and his way of developing and transmitting ideas.
The second part addresses several key themes raised by Graeber. First,
the relationship between work and social movements. Particularly
developed is his analysis of "bullshit jobs": his critique of work does
not concern only low-skilled jobs. He underscores the meaning of work
and notes how many executives leave their companies to become artisans.
This growing awareness, according to Graeber, can initiate a
revolutionary process, one that progresses gradually by rehabilitating
political imagination and the citizens' capacity for self-organization.
Graeber also examined the question of debt, defending the cancellation
of debt in times of crisis, as debt plunges individuals into poverty.
The final theme-among others-is titled "Anarchism, Freedom, and the
Human Economy." One contributor recalls Graeber's involvement in the
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the Occupy Wall Street (OWS)
movement.
To conclude, Véronique Dutraive writes: "By bringing together
perspectives from different disciplines around his key concepts, this
work aims to extend Graeber's approach: to think through the diversity
of human possibilities in order to open concrete horizons of freedom,
equality, and self-organization."
David Graeber
Value, Politics and Democracy in the United States
Presses Universitaires de Lyon, 2025
Collective edited by Véronique Dutraive
Thinking and Acting with David Graeber. Building Bridges between the
Social Sciences
Presses Universitaires de Lyon, 2025
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8591
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
undoubtedly have been outraged and stood firmly against the grim
policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. They are a caricature of
everything Graeber denounced throughout his books and activist work. The
Presses Universitaires de Lyon have had the good fortune to publish two
works devoted to the thought of this American anthropologist, anarchist
militant, and key figure of the Occupy Wall Street movement. ---- The
first, presented by Véronique Dutraive, is titled Value, Politics and
Democracy in the United States; the second is Thinking and Acting with
David Graeber. For reasons of readability and accessibility, it is
advisable to begin with the first, which is relatively short (around 80
pages). Its very title highlights its relevance. It contains a biography
of David Graeber, underlining his modest origins, his activist
commitments alongside his intellectual reflections.
It is a good introduction to Graeber's complex body of work. His ideas
span "a wide field touching on sociology, economics, politics and
philosophy." Beyond his academic recognition, he also gained a global
reputation in circles that contest the current economic order, as well
as among the general public. He is regarded as one of the most
significant intellectuals of the early 21st century in the social sciences.
Graeber still calls on us today!
The starting point of his 2011 reflection was this question: why did the
American working class vote for the Republican George W. Bush rather
than the Democrat John Kerry? Readers can easily draw parallels to the
current situation in the United States. It seems the Democrats have
taken refuge in values that are more societal than social. Disadvantaged
classes, finding no response to their immediate concerns in this
discourse, have turned to traditional, almost mythical American
values-even if illusory. Graeber reflects on the debate between altruism
and selfishness. He also distinguishes between "value" in terms of money
and the political, artistic, family, and more collective "values." The
working classes feel excluded from access to the latter. His analysis of
the relationship to Pierre Bourdieu's theories is insightful, as is his
reference to Mauss's notion of the gift. Graeber also highlights
widespread distrust toward the political-managerial class, the state,
and its bureaucracy. This translates into the weakening of American
democracy. Readers can project these analyses onto U.S. political life
today, or even onto French politics. His wife, Nika Dubrovsky, presents
their shared reflections in Another Art World regarding the lack of
esteem felt by the working class toward the elites who monopolize
"useful and altruistic careers" from which they feel culturally and
economically excluded. She underlines the brutality of unfulfilled
promises made to this class, especially in the artistic field.
Is Another World Possible?
The second book, also published by the Presses Universitaires de Lyon,
is titled Thinking and Acting with David Graeber. It gathers, under the
direction of Véronique Dutraive, the contributions of anthropologists,
archaeologists, political scientists, and philosophers engaged in
continuing the dual dialogue David Graeber sought to build between the
humanities and social sciences on one hand, and political as well as
academic activism on the other. The book's subtitle is telling of its
purpose: Building Bridges between the Social Sciences.
The first part of the book explores Graeber's contributions to
anthropology, economics, and sociology. He "encourages us to believe
that another, better world is possible-not merely as an idealist, but as
an anthropologist of human possibilities." Concerning economics, he
debunks myths such as the barter fable, examines the reality of debt,
and analyzes bureaucracy in corporations. He denounces the
instrumentalization of economics by politics and questions the moral
dimension of the economy in its relationship to politics. Post-Keynesian
in his orientation, he emphasizes the state's role as a regulator of the
market. The opposition between market and state, he argues, is absurd.
Another essay analyzes the scientific style of Graeber's anarchist
anthropology and his way of developing and transmitting ideas.
The second part addresses several key themes raised by Graeber. First,
the relationship between work and social movements. Particularly
developed is his analysis of "bullshit jobs": his critique of work does
not concern only low-skilled jobs. He underscores the meaning of work
and notes how many executives leave their companies to become artisans.
This growing awareness, according to Graeber, can initiate a
revolutionary process, one that progresses gradually by rehabilitating
political imagination and the citizens' capacity for self-organization.
Graeber also examined the question of debt, defending the cancellation
of debt in times of crisis, as debt plunges individuals into poverty.
The final theme-among others-is titled "Anarchism, Freedom, and the
Human Economy." One contributor recalls Graeber's involvement in the
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the Occupy Wall Street (OWS)
movement.
To conclude, Véronique Dutraive writes: "By bringing together
perspectives from different disciplines around his key concepts, this
work aims to extend Graeber's approach: to think through the diversity
of human possibilities in order to open concrete horizons of freedom,
equality, and self-organization."
David Graeber
Value, Politics and Democracy in the United States
Presses Universitaires de Lyon, 2025
Collective edited by Véronique Dutraive
Thinking and Acting with David Graeber. Building Bridges between the
Social Sciences
Presses Universitaires de Lyon, 2025
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8591
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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