David Graeber

David Wengrow

A trailblazing account of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution—from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of "the state," political violence, and social inequality—and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation. For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike—either free and equal innocents, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we are told, could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or, alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a conservative reaction to powerful critiques of European society posed by Indigenous observers and intellectuals. Revisiting this encounter has startling implications for how we make sense of human history today, including the origins of farming, property, cities, democracy, slavery, and civilization itself. Drawing on pathbreaking research in archaeology and anthropology, the authors show how history becomes a far more interesting place once we learn to throw off our conceptual shackles and perceive what’s really there. If humans did not spend 95 percent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers, what were they doing all that time? If agriculture, and cities, did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination, then what kinds of social and economic organization did they lead to? What was really happening during the periods that we usually describe as the emergence of "the state"? The answers are often unexpected, and suggest that the course of human history may be less set in stone, and more full of playful, hopeful possibilities, than we tend to assume. The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organizing society. This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range, animated by curiosity, moral vision, and a faith in the power of direct action. Includes Black-and-White Illustrations

A New History of Humanity

The Dawn of Everything

Renowned activist and public intellectual David Graeber teams up with professor of comparative archaeology David Wengrow to deliver a trailblazing account of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution--from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of the state, political violence, and social inequality--and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation. For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike--either free and equal innocents, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we are told, could only be achieved by sacrificing those original freedoms, or alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. Graeber and Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a conservative reaction to powerful critiques of European society posed by Indigenous observers and intellectuals. Revisiting this encounter has startling implications for how we make sense of human history today, including the origins of farming, property, cities, democracy, slavery, and civilization itself. Drawing on path-breaking research in archaeology and anthropology, the authors show how history becomes a far more interesting place once we learn to throw off our conceptual shackles and perceive what's really there. If humans did not spend 95% of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers, what were they doing all that time? If agriculture, and cities, did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination, then what kinds of social and economic organization did they lead to? What was really happening during the periods that we usually describe as the emergence of the state? The answers are often unexpected, and suggest that the course of human history may be less set in stone, and more full of playful, hopeful possibilities, than we tend to assume. The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organizing society. This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range, animated by curiosity, moral vision, and a faith in the power of direct action.

"Faszinierend, provozierend, bahnbrechend. Ein Buch, das in den kommenden Jahren für Diskussionen sorgen wird." Rutger Bregman, Autor von »Utopien für Realisten« Ein großes Buch von gewaltiger intellektueller Bandbreite, neugierig, visionär, und ein Plädoyer für die Macht des direkten Handelns. David Graeber, der bedeutendste Anthropologe unserer Zeit, und David Wengrow, einer der führenden Archäologen, entfalten in ihrer großen Menschheitsgeschichte, wie sich die Anfänge unserer Zivilisation mit der Zukunft der Menschheit neu denken und verbinden lässt. Sie revidieren unser bisheriges Menschenbild und erzählen Menschheitsgeschichte, wie sie noch nie erzählt wurde. Über Jahrtausende hinweg, lange vor der Aufklärung, wurde schon jede erdenkliche Form sozialer Organisation erfunden und nach Freiheit, Wissen und Glück gestrebt. Graeber und Wengrow zeigen, wie stark die indigene Perspektive das westliche Denken beeinflusst hat und wie wichtig ihre Rückgewinnung ist. Lebendig und überzeugend ermuntern sie uns, mutiger und entschiedener für eine andere Zukunft der Menschheit einzutreten und sie durch unser Handeln zu verändern. David Graeber war der bedeutendste Kulturanthropologe seiner Generation, der wichtigste Vordenker der Occupy-Bewegung und ein weltbekannter Intellektueller. Er lebte seine Ideen von sozialer Gerechtigkeit und Befreiung, gab den Unterdrückten Hoffnung und inspirierte zahllose andere zur Nachfolge. Am 2. September 2020 starb David Graeber völlig überraschend im Alter von 59 Jahren in Venedig; drei Wochen zuvor hatten er und David Wengrow "Anfänge. Eine neue Geschichte der Menschheit" beendet. Vor mehr als zehn Jahren hatten beide Autoren ihre Arbeit an diesem Opus magnum außerhalb ihrer akademischen Verpflichtungen aufgenommen: Ein Anthropologe und ein Archäologe beleben mit dem heute vorhandenen Quellenmaterial den großen Dialog über die menschliche Geschichte wieder. Dieses Meisterwerk ist das Vermächtnis von David Graeber. »Ein faszinierendes Werk, das uns dazu bringt, die Natur der menschlichen Fähigkeiten neu zu überdenken. Es handelt von den stolzesten Momente unserer eigenen Geschichte, unserem Austausch und unserer Schuld gegenüber indigenen Kulturen und ihren vergessenen Intellektuellen. Herausfordernd und erhellend.« Noam Chomsky »Graeber und Wengrow entlarven Klischees über die weit zurückreichende Geschichte der Menschheit, um unserem Denken zu erschließen, was in der Zukunft möglich ist. Es gibt kein vitaleres, kein unserer Zeit angemesseneres Projekt.« Jaron Lanier, Autor von Anbruch einer neuen Zeit » ›Anfänge. Eine neue Geschichte der Menschheit‹ ist eine Synthese neuerer Forschungen. Dieses Buch verwirft alte und überholte Annahmen über die Vergangenheit, erneuert unsere intellektuellen und spirituellen Ressourcen und enthüllt auf wundersame Weise die Zukunft der Menschheit als offenes Ende. Es ist das erfrischendste Buch, das ich in den letzten Jahren gelesen habe.« Pankaj Mishra, Autor von Das Zeitalter des Zorns: Eine Geschichte der Gegenwart »Indem Graeber und Wengrow die neuesten archäologischen Forschungen und die jüngsten anthropologischen Aufzeichnungen durchforsten, zeigen uns die Autoren eine Welt, die vielfältiger und unerwarteter ist, als wir sie kannten, und offener und freier, als wir sie uns vorstellen. Dies ist Sozialtheorie im großen, altmodischen Sinne, vorgetragen mit fesselnder Geschwindigkeit und einem erheiternden Gefühl der Entdeckung.« Corey Robin, Brooklyn College and Graduate Center, New York, Autor von The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump »Das ist kein Buch. Das ist ein intellektuelles Fest. Es gibt kein einziges Kapitel, das (spielerisch) angepasste und eingeschliffene intellektuelle Überzeugungen umstößt. Es ist tiefgründig, mühelos ikonoklastisch, faktisch rigoros und angenehm zu lesen.« Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Autor von Der schwarze Schwan

Eine neue Geschichte der Menschheit

Anfänge

It has often been claimed that "monsters"--supernatural creatures with bodies composed from multiple species--play a significant part in the thought and imagery of all people from all times. The Origins of Monsters advances an alternative view. Composite figurations are intriguingly rare and isolated in the art of the prehistoric era. Instead it was with the rise of cities, elites, and cosmopolitan trade networks that "monsters" became widespread features of visual production in the ancient world. Showing how these fantastic images originated and how they were transmitted, David Wengrow identifies patterns in the records of human image-making and embarks on a search for connections between mind and culture. Wengrow asks: Can cognitive science explain the potency of such images? Does evolutionary psychology hold a key to understanding the transmission of symbols? How is our making and perception of images influenced by institutions and technologies? Wengrow considers the work of art in the first age of mechanical reproduction, which he locates in the Middle East, where urban life began. Comparing the development and spread of fantastic imagery across a range of prehistoric and ancient societies, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and China, he explores how the visual imagination has been shaped by a complex mixture of historical and universal factors. Examining the reasons behind the dissemination of monstrous imagery in ancient states and empires, The Origins of Monsters sheds light on the relationship between culture and cognition.

Image and Cognition in the First Age of Mechanical Reproduction

The Origins of Monsters

Durante generaciones hemos visto a nuestros antepasados más remotos como seres primitivos, ingenuos y violentos. Se nos ha dicho que solo era posible alcanzar la civilización sacrificando libertades o domesticando nuestros instintos. En este ensayo, los reconocidos antropólogos David Graeber y David Wengrow demuestran que estas concepciones, que surgieron en el siglo xviii, fueron una reacción conservadora de la sociedad europea ante las críticas de los intelectuales indígenas y que no tienen un aval antropológico y arqueológico. En el rastreo de esta falsa línea de pensamiento, este libro defiende que las comunidades de la prehistoria eran mucho más cambiantes de lo que se ha pensado; un planteamiento que desarticula los relatos fundacionales más arraigados, desde el desarrollo de las ciudades hasta los orígenes del Estado, la desigualdad o la democracia. El amanecer de todo es una nueva historia de la humanidad, un texto combativo que transforma nuestra comprensión del pasado y abre camino para imaginar nuevas formas de organización social. Una obra monumental que cuestiona las ideas de pensadores como Jared Diamond, Francis Fukuyama y Yuval Noah Harari. Porque la suposición de que las sociedades se vuelven menos igualitarias y libres a medida que se hacen más complejas y «civilizadas» no es más que un mito.

Una nueva historia de la humanidad

El amanecer de todo

Neste clássico instantâneo e best-seller internacional, David Graeber e David Wengrow propõem uma nova versão de nossa história — do desenvolvimento da agricultura e das cidades às origens do Estado, da democracia e da desigualdade. Durante séculos, nossos ancestrais foram considerados primitivos e infantis, sendo divididos em duas categorias: iguais, livres e inocentes ou guerreiros e brutais. Com base no pensamento de Jean-Jacques Rousseau e de Thomas Hobbes, a ideia que perdurou ao longo dos anos foi a de que só poderíamos alcançar a civilização sacrificando essas liberdades ou domesticando nossos instintos mais básicos. Neste livro revolucionário, o antropólogo David Graeber e o arqueólogo David Wengrow demonstram como essas teorias que emergiram no século XVIII foram uma reação à crítica feita por povos indígenas à sociedade europeia — e por que elas estão erradas. Ao oferecer essa nova perspectiva, os autores questionam tudo o que conhecemos sobre as origens da agricultura, da propriedade, das cidades, da democracia, da escravidão e da própria civilização, iluminando outras formas de liberdade e organização social e nos convidando a imaginar qual futuro desejamos para nós mesmos. “Um banquete intelectual. Não há um único capítulo que não questione (com bom humor) crenças intelectuais estabelecidas.” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb “Esta obra nos apresenta um mundo habitado por pessoas inteligentes, criativas e complexas que, por milhares de anos, inventaram quase todas as formas de organização social e buscaram liberdade, conhecimento, experimentação e felicidade muito antes do ‘iluminismo’.” — Robin D. G. Kelley “Um fio condutor poderoso deste livro é a retomada das perspectivas indígenas como influência fundamental no pensamento europeu, uma contribuição valiosa para a decolonização das histórias globais.” — Rebecca Solnit

Uma nova história da humanidade

O despertar de tudo

L'alba di tutto. Una nuova storia dell'umanità

In this authoritative survey of the archaeology of early Egypt, David Wengrow offers a new interpretation of the emergence of farming economies and the dynastic state, c.10,000 to 2,650 BC. Exploring key themes such as the nature of state power, kingship and the inception of writing, Wengrow illuminates prehistoric social development along the Nile through comparison with neighboring regions. Employing rich empirical data and engaging critically with anthropological theory and the history of archaeological thought, Wengrow's work challenges the current theoretical isolation of Egyptian prehistory.

Social Transformations in North-East Africa, c.10,000 to 2,650 BC

The Archaeology of Early Egypt

Neste clássico instantâneo e best-seller internacional, David Graeber e David Wengrow propõem uma nova versão de nossa história — do desenvolvimento da agricultura e das cidades às origens do Estado, da democracia e da desigualdade. Durante séculos, nossos ancestrais foram considerados primitivos e infantis, sendo divididos em duas categorias: iguais, livres e inocentes ou guerreiros e brutais. Com base no pensamento de Jean-Jacques Rousseau e de Thomas Hobbes, a ideia que perdurou ao longo dos anos foi a de que só poderíamos alcançar a civilização sacrificando essas liberdades ou domesticando nossos instintos mais básicos. Neste livro revolucionário, o antropólogo David Graeber e o arqueólogo David Wengrow demonstram como essas teorias que emergiram no século XVIII foram uma reação à crítica feita por povos indígenas à sociedade europeia — e por que elas estão erradas. Ao oferecer essa nova perspectiva, os autores questionam tudo o que conhecemos sobre as origens da agricultura, da propriedade, das cidades, da democracia, da escravidão e da própria civilização, iluminando outras formas de liberdade e organização social e nos convidando a imaginar qual futuro desejamos para nós mesmos. "Um banquete intelectual. Não há um único capítulo que não questione (com bom humor) crenças intelectuais estabelecidas." — Nassim Nicholas Taleb "Esta obra nos apresenta um mundo habitado por pessoas inteligentes, criativas e complexas que, por milhares de anos, inventaram quase todas as formas de organização social e buscaram liberdade, conhecimento, experimentação e felicidade muito antes do 'iluminismo'." — Robin D. G. Kelley "Um fio condutor poderoso deste livro é a retomada das perspectivas indígenas como influência fundamental no pensamento europeu, uma contribuição valiosa para a decolonização das histórias globais." — Rebecca Solnit

Depuis des siècles, nous nous racontons sur les origines de l’inégalité une histoire très simple. Pendant l’essentiel de leur existence sur terre, les êtres humains auraient vécu au sein de petits clans de chasseurs-cueilleurs. Puis l’agriculture aurait fait son entrée, et avec elle la propriété privée. Enfin seraient nées les villes, marquant l’apparition non seulement de la civilisation, mais aussi des guerres, de la bureaucratie, du patriarcat et de l’esclavage. Or ce récit pose un gros problème : il est faux.

Une nouvelle histoire de l'humanité

Au commencement était...

een nieuwe geschiedenis van de mensheid

Het begin van alles

Andrew Bevan

Commodity branding did not emerge with contemporary global capitalism. In fact, the authors of this volume show that the cultural history of branding stretches back to the beginnings of urban life in the ancient Near East and Egypt, and can be found in various permutations in places as diverse as the Bronze Age Mediterranean and Early Modern Europe. What the contributions in this volume also vividly document, both in past social contexts and recent ones as diverse as the kingdoms of Cameroon, Socialist Hungary or online eBay auctions, is the need to understand branded commodities as part of a broader continuum with techniques of gift-giving, ritual, and sacrifice. Bringing together the work of cultural anthropologists and archaeologists, this volume obliges specialists in marketing and economics to reassess the relationship between branding and capitalism, as well as adding an important new concept to the work of economic anthropologists and archaeologists.

Cultures of Commodity Branding

A vivid new account of the 'birth of civilization' in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia where many of the foundations of modern life were laid

The Ancient Near East and the Future of the West

What Makes Civilization?

Reader in Comparative Archaeology David Wengrow

Our attachment to ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Egypt as the "birthplace of civilization", where the foundations of our own societies were laid, is as strong today as it has ever been. When the Iraq Museum in Baghdad was looted in 2003, our newspapers proclaimed "the death of history". Yetthe ancient Near East also remains a source of mystery: a space of the imagination where we explore the discontents of modern civilization. In What Makes Civilization? archaeologist David Wengrow investigates the origins of farming, writing, and cities in Egypt and Mesopotamia, and the connections between them. This is the story of how people first created kingdoms and monuments to the gods - and, just as importantly, how they adoptedeveryday practices that we might now take for granted, such as familiar ways of cooking food and keeping the house and body clean. Why, he asks, have these ancient cultures, where so many features of modern life originated, come to symbolize the remote and the exotic? What challenge do they pose to our assumptions about power, progress, and civilization in human history? And are the sacrifices we now make in the name of "our"civilization really so different from those once made by the peoples of Mesopotamia and Egypt on the altars of the gods?

David Wengrow

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