How Forests Think

Toward an Anthropology Beyond the Human

Eduardo Kohn

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English

University of California Press
10 August 2013

Anthropology

Can forests think? Do dogs dream? In this astonishing book, Eduardo Kohn challenges the very foundations of anthropology, calling into question our central assumptions about what it means to be human-and thus distinct from all other life forms. Based on four years of fieldwork among the Runa of Ecuador's Upper Amazon, Eduardo Kohn draws on his rich ethnography to explore how Amazonians interact with the many creatures that inhabit one of the world's most complex ecosystems. Whether or not we recognize it, our anthropological tools hinge on those capacities that make us distinctly human. However, when we turn our ethnographic attention to how we relate to other kinds of beings, these tools (which have the effect of divorcing us from the rest of the world) break down. How Forests Think seizes on this breakdown as an opportunity. Avoiding reductionistic solutions, and without losing sight of how our lives and those of others are caught up in the moral webs we humans spin, this book skillfully fashions new kinds of conceptual tools from the strange and unexpected properties of the living world itself. In this groundbreaking work, Kohn takes anthropology in a new and exciting direction–one that offers a more capacious way to think about the world we share with other kinds of beings.

By: Eduardo Kohn
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: 1
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 408g
ISBN: 9780520276116
ISBN 10: 0520276116
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 10 August 2013
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Further / Higher Education , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgments Introduction: Runa Puma 1 The Open Whole 2 The Living Thought 3 Soul Blindness 4 Trans-Species Pidgins 5 Form's Effortless Efficacy 6 The Living Future (and the Imponderable Weight of the Dead) Epilogue: Beyond Notes Bibliography Index

Eduardo Kohn is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at McGill University.

Reviews for How Forests Think: Toward an Anthropology Beyond the Human

"""What's so welcome about Kohn's approach is that he walks a tightrope with perfect balance: never losing sight of the unique aspects of being human, while refusing to force those aspects into separating us from the rest of the abundantly thinking world."" The Times Literary Supplement ""How Forests Think"" is an important book that provides a viable way for people educated in Western philosophy to approach indigenous animism without being credulous or inauthentic. It is refreshing to read a book of this intellectual caliber that takes Runa stories seriously and enters into dialogue with their claims using the tools of Western philosophy."" Anthropos"