Description: What if anthropology's fundamental assumptions about cultural and social context were shaped by a philosopher many anthropologists have never engaged with? This book explores how, from the early twentieth century to the present day, anthropological ideas about context have been shaped by Ludwig Wittgenstein's evolving philosophy, often without anthropologists fully realizing it. It shows how Wittgenstein's philosophical journey mirrors anthropology's own theoretical transformations. Through careful analysis of key figures from Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown to Geertz and contemporary theorists, Paolo Heywood reveals unexpected connections between philosophical developments and anthropological practice. The result is a surprising genealogy of how we came to think about culture, society, and everyday life the way we do. This intellectual history illuminates the hidden philosophical assumptions that continue to shape anthropological work today. It reveals how disciplines are shaped by ideas they've forgotten they borrowed, and the surprising ways such ideas evolve in new contexts.
Brief description: Paolo Heywood is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Durham University, UK. He is the author of two monographs (After Difference, 2018; Burying Mussolini, 2024) and the editor or co-editor of three edited volumes (Beyond Description, 2023; New Anthropologies of Italy, 2024; Freedoms of Speech, 2024).
Review Quotes: 'In this subtle and perceptive book, Heywood allows Wittgenstein and anthropology to cast light on each other in new and unexpected ways. Erudite and eminently readable, the book provides a clear-headed assessment of the useful - and the less useful - habits of thought left behind in Wittgenstein's wake. The result is a bold diagnosis of the power and the limits of the shift away from form and towards 'life' in philosophy and anthropology.' Matei Candea, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge, UK