I Was Married to a Horse, and Other Tales of an Accidental Anthropologist

John Borneman, Frédéric Keck

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Paperback

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English

HAU
05 January 2026

Memoirs; Gay studies (Gay men); Education; Higher & further education, tertiary education

A personal odyssey and a portrait of distinguished anthropologist in practice—a life shaped by accident, transformation, and the enduring power of connection.

How does the youngest of eight children, raised on a family farm in northern Wisconsin by parents with only half a grammar school education, become an Ivy League professor and a witness to some of the most transformative events of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries? In this remarkable memoir, John Borneman tells the story of his life as an ""accidental anthropologist"" with searing honesty, humor, and emotional depth.

Tracing a path from his upbringing as a queer farm boy to a career in anthropology, Borneman's memoir reflects on social mobility, the decline of the American family farm, and shifting understandings of queerness and masculinity. Meanwhile, as a fourth-generation German American, his journey carried him to divided Berlin, where he captures the moods of East and West, and back again during the arrival of Syrian refugees—culminating in a long-standing friendship and a poignant reunion with a refugee he had first met years earlier.

Through these encounters, Borneman shows how empathy and attention can reveal the hidden textures of history, identity, and belonging. Rich in insight and humanity, this is a story of personal discovery, intercultural encounter, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world—one that speaks to scholars and general readers alike.

By: John Borneman
Foreword by: Frédéric Keck
Imprint: HAU
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781914363412
ISBN 10: 1914363418
Pages: 300
Publication Date: 05 January 2026
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Further / Higher Education , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

John Borneman is emeritus professor of anthropology at Princeton University.