This book analyses anthropological debates on “relationism” (referring to methodological and theoretical issues) and sets out to reconsider these discussions with regards to the notion of “substance” (generally associated with the body). Reflecting on the philosophical origins and implications of these two concepts, the author aims to bring them to the heart of contemporary anthropological discourse and addresses the erasure (or blurring) of “substance” in favour of “relation.” The argument put forward is that the conceptual pairing of “substance-relation” should be substituted for the “nature-culture” dualism that has been dominant in structural anthropology. The chapters engage with the work of scholars such as Philippe Descola, Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, and Wang Mingming as part of a decentring and questioning of the tradition in which anthropology is rooted. The book also considers the role that the anthropology of China plays in the re-evaluation of the relationship between relation and substance. The concept of “submutance” is introduced with Chinese ethnographic material to explore the possibility of moving beyond the relation-substance dualism of Western heritage. This is valuable reading for scholars interested in the theory and history of anthropology.
By:
Aurélie Névot
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781032426648
ISBN 10: 1032426640
Series: Routledge Studies in Anthropology
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 27 May 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Introduction. Lévi-Strauss’ Enfants Terribles Part I Historiographical Overview 1 From Substantialist Premises to Relationalist Perspectives. From Aristotle to Cognitivism via Lévi-Strauss 2 Anthropo-Philosophical and Ethno-Phenomenological Relations. From Torment to Ecstasy? Conclusion to Part I Part II Structuralist Legacies 3 Body and Intentionality. Descola’s “Relative Universalism” 4 The body-Sign. Viveiros de Castro’s anti-substantialist relationism Conclusion to Part II Part III Chinese Relationisms and Submutances 5 The Lost Body. Wang Mingming’s “Cosmology of Relationship” and Hierarchical Relationism 6 Shamanic Bodies and Submutances. The Course of Writing, Blood, Breath and Water Conclusion to Part III Conclusion. “What the body can do”
Aurélie Névot is an anthropologist and research professor at the French National Scientific Research Centre (CNRS).
