This week we feature new reviews as well as a new call for reviews on the theme of #legalanthro!
Tomorrow, our Allie Julie Billaud kicks off the week by reviewing a 19th-century ethnography from Central Asia: Muslim women of the Fergana Valley by Vladimir Nalivkin and Maria Nalivkina, edited by Marianne Kamp. The book pioneers a new genre of ethnographic writing and Billaud concludes that “it is a must-read for students specializing in the history of Russia and Central Asia, women’s studies, and anthropology.”
On Wednesday, Jonas Bens reviews Arlie Hochschild’s new ethnographic study of how life feels for people on the political right. After long-term research in the US Bible Belt states, her book Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right presents an empathic account of Tea Party members with whose worldviews she nevertheless profoundly disagrees.
On Thursday, we issue a new call for #reviews – the theme this time is #legalanthro.
Legal anthropology is “home” to all Allies from the editorial team. It’s a passion that got us together in the first place and that forms the heart of Allegra Lab. Legal anthropology has not only undergone a renaissance in the last decade, it has also conquered new territory such as the realm of international organisations, corporate business and other transnational forms of governance. But it has remained true to its classical roots, too: exploring alternative ways of dispute resolution, the importance of language when it comes to law and the more general question of what this thing called ‘law’ is in the first place.
Legal anthropology contributes significantly to many current debates in our discipline; the list of books we feature in our call for reviews this week shows a broad spectrum: from crime to decentralisation, immigration, legal pluralism, customary law, remediation, justice, and the senses. We also have Mark Goodale’s Anthropology and Law up for review – a long-awaited comprehensive overview of the field.
Finally, let me use this opportunity to thank everyone who has already heeded our call (or rather cry) for HELP! last week and donated to Allegra Lab.
Thank you so much!
To everyone else: every small amount counts and ensures that we will be able to carry on with our work! You can make a donation in the amount of your choosing via Paypal. You can also become a regular supporter in the amount of your choice. Simply click on the options in the form located on the right side of this post or go to our DONATE page.
Have a great week, everyone!
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Featured image by Malte Hempel (flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)
