Duke University Press Unfinished: The Anthropology of Becoming

This original, field-changing collection explores the plasticity and unfinishedness of human subjects and lifeworlds, advancing the conceptual terrain of an anthropology of becoming. People's becomings trouble and exceed ways of knowing and acting, producing new possibilities for research, methodology, and writing. The contributors creatively bridge ethnography and critical theory in a range of worlds on the edge, from war and its aftermath, economic transformation, racial inequality, and gun violence to religiosity, therapeutic markets, animal rights activism, and abrupt environmental change. Defying totalizing analytical schemes, these visionary essays articulate a human science of the uncertain and unknown and restore a sense of movement and possibility to ethics and political practice. Unfinished invites readers to consider the array of affects, ideas, forces, and objects that shape contemporary modes of existence and future horizons, opening new channels for critical thought and creative expression. Contributors. Lucas Bessire, João Biehl, Naisargi N. Dave, Elizabeth A. Davis, Michael M. J. Fischer, Angela Garcia, Peter Locke, Adriana Petryna, Bridget Purcell, Laurence Ralph, Lilia M. Schwarcz Review " Unfinished: The Anthropology of Becoming promises to contribute to our understanding of this current moment of political and epistemological uncertainties, and will be of great interest to scholars, researchers, and writers from across the social and natural sciences and the humanities."--Onur Günay and Heath Pearson "Somatosphere" (5/23/2018 12:00:00 AM) "Although theoretically complex, the contributors never lose sight of the individuals at the heart of ethnography. . . . What stands out is its intricate and intimate representation of human experience, which imbues it with authority and stays with the reader for a long time."--Heather Montgomery "Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute" (1/1/2020 12:00:00 AM) "As complex and ambitious as it is masterfully conceived. . . . A sign of renaissance in anthropology."--Roberto Costa "The Australian Journal of Anthropology" (7/20/2018 12:00:00 AM) "Bringing the theme of becoming to the center of the anthropological debate is particularly timely in a context in which institutions, as well as the public, are discussing and interpreting society in ways that rely heavily on deterministic forms of schematism and simplification. . . . Unfinished could be an intriguing choice for professionals looking for a source of inspiration for new analytical approaches to study the dynamism of social phenomena."--Michele Fontefrancesco "Anthropology in Action" (7/1/2019 12:00:00 AM) Review " Unfinished: The Anthropology of Becoming promises to contribute to our understanding of this current moment of political and epistemological uncertainties, and will be of great interest to scholars, researchers, and writers from across the social and natural sciences and the humanities." (Onur Günay and Heath Pearson Somatosphere) "As complex and ambitious as it is masterfully conceived. . . . A sign of renaissance in anthropology." (Roberto Costa The Australian Journal of Anthropology) Review "As prismatic points arrayed around questions of theory and method, these exceptional essays provide very precise contexts in which modes of thought and being and problematics of futures literally take shape. They pull into line with their subjects, moving sideways to follow them, getting out of their way, listening, noticing. Each ending up with a striking image. Making powerful interventions into basic problematics of anthropological subjects and objects, Unfinished is a major contribution to cultural theory." (Kathleen Stewart, author of Ordinary Affects) "A rich, timely, and important work, Unfinished articulates the philosophical terms of an approach to anthropology that attends to becoming and generativity in life in a number of ethnographic contexts. By cr