Dr. Graeber, I just graduated with my M.A. in Linguistics with a specific focus on Anthropological Linguistics of Mesoamerican Native Peoples. I find your work really fascinating. Debt really reshaped my understanding.
My question is this, in Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology, you refer to some disciplines as being more imperialistic than others. Your examples, notably, are Linguistics and Technology. I have a number of ideas as to why you would claim that Linguistics is an imperialist discipline (mostly used by the army/government to decode communications for military and intelligence purposes, the biggest linguistics organization is based around translating the bible into every world language, eurocentric theoretical biases, etc.).
I was wondering if you would expand on your comment, particularly in light of Noam Chomsky's work as an anarchist writer and organizer.
Edited to add: Additionally, what do you think of the participatory, carnivalesque culture that has sprung up around Burning Man and its more recent associated regional Burn events, if you are familiar with it?
NoSabbathForNomads56 karma
Dr. Graeber, I just graduated with my M.A. in Linguistics with a specific focus on Anthropological Linguistics of Mesoamerican Native Peoples. I find your work really fascinating. Debt really reshaped my understanding.
My question is this, in Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology, you refer to some disciplines as being more imperialistic than others. Your examples, notably, are Linguistics and Technology. I have a number of ideas as to why you would claim that Linguistics is an imperialist discipline (mostly used by the army/government to decode communications for military and intelligence purposes, the biggest linguistics organization is based around translating the bible into every world language, eurocentric theoretical biases, etc.).
I was wondering if you would expand on your comment, particularly in light of Noam Chomsky's work as an anarchist writer and organizer.
Edited to add: Additionally, what do you think of the participatory, carnivalesque culture that has sprung up around Burning Man and its more recent associated regional Burn events, if you are familiar with it?
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