esalamon's review against another edition
4.0
interesting, concise, lots of great ideas. wish there were citations and sources.
zaboniki's review against another edition
3.0
Overall I appreciate the challenges set and questions raised by the author. I learned plenty of new and interesting things. It does baffle me, however, that there were almost no references and no bibliography. Surely references to relevant works and suggested further reading would have benefited this work, especially since its aim is to provide an academic basis for how to bridge anarchism and anthropology? We all win by crediting the ideas of other people. For all of the author’s anti-academic and anti-intellectual rants, a lot of the ideas put forth have long standing academic traditions. Referencing them directly (instead of rejecting to even be part of them) could have helped to ground and deepen his arguments.
amul27's review against another edition
4.0
3.5, Rounded off to 4.
"Another World is Possible" - A Brazilian Folk Song as quoted by Graeber, whose book can be described as an extended argument of this quote.
For anyone who has been pondering upon the reality of our political organization, David Graeber (The Democracy Project, Debt), the anthropology scholar who is better known for his coining of the phrase (Along with many others) 'Occupy Wall Street', offers literal 'fragments' of anarchist thought from pages of anthropology.
The failure of Capitalism in providing social and economic justice as well as its environmental cost is self-evident and the only answer for this concern has been 'What other choice do we have?'. In Fragments, Graeber is introducing Anarchist thought not as a solution or an alternative to Capitalism, but something more 'natural' to human beings than any other form of political organisation. As an anthropologist he has access to communities across the world who practice Anarchism, which is not a synonym to anarchy. He also answers the allegations of 'primitiveness' and not being 'modern'. But, more than that, he questions the very working of the field of anthropology and its assumptions and how it maybe failing in not sharing its knowledge on anarchist societies, thereby ignoring the potential and possibilities that anarchist thought can have on how we think about our political and economic reality.
However, if you're looking for a comprehensive case for anarchism or even a introduction to anarchism, then this isn't the book for you. Though, it is short, it reads more like Graeber's diary.
Goldman, Kropotkin, Bakunin are the pioneers of anarchist thought and they of course need to be read for a comprehensive understanding of Anarchism, but for a take on contemporary anarchist thought and its relation to anthropology, Fragments works.
"Another World is Possible" - A Brazilian Folk Song as quoted by Graeber, whose book can be described as an extended argument of this quote.
For anyone who has been pondering upon the reality of our political organization, David Graeber (The Democracy Project, Debt), the anthropology scholar who is better known for his coining of the phrase (Along with many others) 'Occupy Wall Street', offers literal 'fragments' of anarchist thought from pages of anthropology.
The failure of Capitalism in providing social and economic justice as well as its environmental cost is self-evident and the only answer for this concern has been 'What other choice do we have?'. In Fragments, Graeber is introducing Anarchist thought not as a solution or an alternative to Capitalism, but something more 'natural' to human beings than any other form of political organisation. As an anthropologist he has access to communities across the world who practice Anarchism, which is not a synonym to anarchy. He also answers the allegations of 'primitiveness' and not being 'modern'. But, more than that, he questions the very working of the field of anthropology and its assumptions and how it maybe failing in not sharing its knowledge on anarchist societies, thereby ignoring the potential and possibilities that anarchist thought can have on how we think about our political and economic reality.
However, if you're looking for a comprehensive case for anarchism or even a introduction to anarchism, then this isn't the book for you. Though, it is short, it reads more like Graeber's diary.
Goldman, Kropotkin, Bakunin are the pioneers of anarchist thought and they of course need to be read for a comprehensive understanding of Anarchism, but for a take on contemporary anarchist thought and its relation to anthropology, Fragments works.
lmbws's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most inspiring anthropologists makes a case for what anthropology and anarchism could learn for each other. Not only that but this book is also a small pladoyer for what role anthropologists should play in this current world and where the discipline could be helpful. A great read, easy to understand language and I'd say a must-read for everyone in anthropology.
ckehoe79's review against another edition
4.0
A little difficult to read, nonetheless it is worth reading. Basically it calls on anthropologists, of which David Graeber is one, to be more affiliated with anarchists, of which David Graeber is one. He calls on anthropologists to use their ethnography experiences and studies to make the case for anarchism. This is what I got from it. I am sure that other readers of this book would make a better summary than I have.
davidgross13's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This is my first time reading Graeber and it won’t be my last. Super easy to read. It’s not bombarded with academic jargon. It was really interesting to read and I’d recommend it for any anarchists. I picked this thing up 3, 4 hours ago and finished it in two sittings.
Blowing Up Walls had to be my favorite part because we often refuse to look at the past when the past has so much knowledge for us, even if it’s different in some ways than now.
Blowing Up Walls had to be my favorite part because we often refuse to look at the past when the past has so much knowledge for us, even if it’s different in some ways than now.
narodnokolo's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75