On Kings - by David Graeber & Marshall Sahlins (Paperback)

About the Book

In anthropology, as much as in the current popular imagination, kings remain figures of fascination and intrigue. As the cliche goes, kings continue to die spectacular deaths only to remain subjects of vitality and long life. This collection of essays by a teacher and his student -- two of the world's most distinguished anthropologists-- explores what kingship actually is, historically and anthropologically. The divine, the stranger, the numinous, the bestial--the implications for understanding kings and their sacred office are not limited to questions of sovereignty, but issues ranging from temporality and alterity to piracy and utopia; indeed, the authors argue that kingship offers us a unique window into the understanding fundamental dilemmas concerning the very nature of power, meaning, and the human condition.
Besides general theoretical reflections, several essays included in the volume focus on particular case studies-- the BaKongo, Aztec, Shilluk, 18th century pirate kings of Madagascar, and others--though each also contains comparative material drawn from many other cases besides. With a jointly written critical introduction, richly framed with the wit and sharp analysis characteristic of these two thinkers, this volume opens up new avenues for how an anthropological study of kingship might proceed in the twenty-first century.

Book Synopsis

In anthropology as much as in popular imagination, kings are figures of fascination and intrigue, heroes or tyrants in ways presidents and prime ministers can never be. This collection of essays by two of the world's most distinguished anthropologists--David Graeber and Marshall Sahlins--explores what kingship actually is, historically and anthropologically. As they show, kings are symbols for more than just sovereignty: indeed, the study of kingship offers a unique window into fundamental dilemmas concerning the very nature of power, meaning, and the human condition.
Reflecting on issues such as temporality, alterity, and utopia--not to mention the divine, the strange, the numinous, and the bestial--Graeber and Sahlins explore the role of kings as they have existed around the world, from the BaKongo to the Aztec to the Shilluk and beyond. Richly delivered with the wit and sharp analysis characteristic of Graeber and Sahlins, this book opens up new avenues for the anthropological study of this fascinating and ubiquitous political figure.

About the Author

David Graeber is professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics and the author, most recently, of The Utopia of Rules. Marshall Sahlins is the Charles F. Grey Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Chicago and the author, most recently, of Confucius Institutes.