Anthropology of the Brain

'Anthropologist by training, and today a leading public intellectual and social theorist in Latin America, Roger Bartra here dextrously argues that the plasticity of cultural and social networks facilitate a 'prosthetic' connection to the brain and consciousness.' Matthew Gutmann, Brown University
'A daring and brilliant hypothesis, and yet another intellectual debt we owe to one of the premier thinkers of our time.' James D. Faubion, Rice University
'… this ground-breaking anthropological study reveals the brain as an external - social - organ.' John Kraniauskas, Birkbeck, University of London
'… a thorough and provocative analysis of the nature of consciousness and free will from the perspective of an anthropologist with a deep knowledge of neuroscience, sociology and philosophy. The author challenges reductionist views on these perennial themes, while highlighting the importance of cultural and social networks in the definition and in the genesis of consciousness. This must-read authoritative work is a valuable reference source for neuroscientists, philosophers, as well as social and cultural anthropologists. No doubt this book will stir up a much needed debate, particularly within the neuroscience community; neurobiologists in general consider consciousness exclusively as a phenomenon that takes place inside the brain of the subject, producing awareness of the self, but largely ignoring 'culture' and 'the other'.' F. Javier Alvarez-Leefmans, Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine