We are all cannibals

Nous sommes tous des cannibales

A short book written for ordinary readers by Claude Levi-Strauss, the greatest anthropologist of modern times, uses exotic experiences to reflect local realities and understand contemporary culture through the eyes of an anthropologist. Are blood transfusions, injections of pituitary hormone extracts, and organ transplants acts of cannibalism?
•Male genital mutilation is socially acceptable, but why is female genital mutilation a violation of human rights?
How did Santa Claus, once a symbol of paganism and superstition, become a symbol of Christmas, the embodiment of a child’s dream encouraged by adults?
This book is a collection of 16 columns published by the structuralist master Levi-Strauss in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica between 1989 and 2000, as well as the article "The Executed Santa Claus" published in 1952.
In these essays, Lévi-Strauss explored contemporary social hotspots, such as the global popularity of Christmas as a "custom," the widespread spread of mad cow disease, whether female genital mutilation violates human rights, and whether parent-child relationships should be based on blood or kinship. Using structuralist and anthropological perspectives, he examined his own era and society, reflecting on the relationship between science and nature. He concluded, "The distance between so-called complex or advanced societies and those mistakenly labeled primitive or ancient is much smaller than is often perceived."
Just like "Tropical Melancholy," which was published in 1955, the date of Lévi-Strauss's writing does not indicate its expiration. On the contrary, his cultural reflections on contemporary society in these articles are still valid today, and are extremely sharp and almost prophetic.

2016-08-01

上海人民出版社

Century Wenjing

224

9787208138858