Moral Anthropology A Critical Reader [Paperback]

This Reader is the first anthology to cover the growing field of moral anthropology and will be an essential resource for students and scholars interested in exploring the important issues involved. Morality and ethics are increasingly invoked in the most diverse domains, from politics to economics, from war to sexuality, from international justice to biological research. To interpret this phenomenon from a critical standpoint, anthropology offers unique perspectives. This volume includes classical as well as recent material and sheds light on continuing debates about relativism and universalism, values and emotions, moral duty and ethical freedom, human rights and humanitarianism, the responsibility of the researcher and the regulation of research. The carefully chosen texts are contextualised with lucid editorial material, including a substantial introduction.

Introduction: The Moral Question in Anthropology  Part One: Foundations  Legacies of Moral Philosophies. Premises of a Science of Morality  Part Two: Positions  The Location of the Moral. Ethical Relativism in Question  Part Three: Descriptions  Local Ethics. Moral Economies  Part Four: Confrontations  Borderline Situations. Practical Tensions  Part Five: Prescriptions  Moralizing the World? Codifying the Discipline?  Conclusion: Towards an Hauntology of the Moral Question.

Moral Anthropology: A Critical Readeris a stunning achievement. It is uniquely suited to introduce the genealogical depth and contemporary relevance of ethical and moral questions in the terrain of social sciences and humanities. Fassin and L?z? show a superb command over a complex literature as they present each chapter with a clear and concise description of its relevance for what they call the moral questiolÓj