The Anthropology of Precious Minerals
Andrew Walsh editor Elizabeth Ferry editor Annabel Vallard editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:University of Toronto Press
Published:6th Dec '19
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Why do people single out gold, sapphires, diamonds, and other minerals as particularly “precious”? What makes precious minerals “precious”? Drawing from ethnographic and cross-cultural research, this collection of anthropological essays and case studies answers these questions by exploring humans’ multifaceted relationships with the minerals they deem “precious.”
The Anthropology of Precious Minerals addresses the entanglement of humans and minerals, with a particular focus on the practices of scrappers, miners, and hunters as they work to extract value. The editors draw from history, archaeology, and ethnography, and remind us that “preciousness” must always be understood in relation to complex cultural, political-economic, and semiotic systems of value.
"Collectively, the processes of mineral valuation and circulation of precious minerals illustrate that ‘preciousness’ should be defined relative to complex and dynamic cultural, political-economic, and semiotic value systems. Compelling, thoughtful analyses of affect and materiality."
-- C. C. Kolb, independent scholar * CHOICEISBN: 9781487503178
Dimensions: 231mm x 157mm x 25mm
Weight: 460g
216 pages