A Companion to Moral Anthropology - (Wiley Blackwell Companions to Anthropology) by Didier Fassin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A Companion to Moral Anthropology is the first collective consideration of the anthropological dimensions of morals, morality, and ethics. Original essays by international experts explore the various currents, approaches, and issues in this important new discipline, examining topics such as the ethnography of moralities, the study of moral subjectivities, and the exploration of moral economies. Represents the first collection to provide a broad picture of a new field of research, moral anthropology, that includes the ethnography of moralities, the study of moral subjectivities and the exploration of moral economies Investigates the central legacies of moral anthropology, the formation of moral facts and values, the context of local moralities, and the frontiers between moralities, politics, humanitarianism Features contributions from pioneers in the field of moral anthropology, as well as international experts in related fields such as moral philosophy, moral psychology, evolutionary biology and neuroethics "--

Book Synopsis

A Companion to Moral Anthropology is the first collective consideration of the anthropological dimensions of morals, morality, and ethics. Original essays by international experts explore the various currents, approaches, and issues in this important new discipline, examining topics such as the ethnography of moralities, the study of moral subjectivities, and the exploration of moral economies.

• Investigates the central legacies of moral anthropology, the formation of moral facts and values, the context of local moralities, and the frontiers between moralities, politics, humanitarianism
• Features contributions from pioneers in the field of moral anthropology, as well as international experts in related fields such as moral philosophy, moral psychology, evolutionary biology and neuroethics

From the Back Cover

A Companion to Moral Anthropology represents the first collective effort to bring together the various currents, approaches, and issues in this emerging field. Fassin and his international group of experts examine the political, religious, and medical components of morals, moralities and ethics. Their research represents a rapidly growing interest in the ethnography of moralities, the study of moral subjectivities, and the exploration of moral economies.

The collection features contributions from Didier Fassin--a doctor and scholar who has pioneered research in the field of moral anthropology. He introduces the genealogical and epistemological issues in a moral anthropology. The distinguished contributors explore the formation of moral facts (including values, virtues, and sentiments); local moralities in various contexts (around piety, poverty, or sexuality); perspectives on historically and culturally situated social worlds (such as religion, science, or finance); and the frontier between moralities and politics (issues such as humanitarianism, punishment, or borders). These original essays engage a dialogue with various disciplines, from moral philosophy to the cognitive sciences. A Companion to Moral Anthropology offers a timely and thought-provoking glimpse into the current state and future directions of an important new discipline of the 21st-century world.

Review Quotes

"This thrilling survey at once points to a rich future for anthropology, without diminishing the ethical and moral debts contemporary anthropologists owe to their predecessors." (Expofairs.com, 1 March 2016)

About the Author

Didier Fassin is the James D. Wolfensohn Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. Trained as a physician in internal medicine and public health, Fassin dedicated his early research to medical anthropology, before developing a domain he terms political and moral anthropology. He is the Director-founder of the Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Social Issues (IRIS, Paris), former Chair of the Social Science and Humanities Committee of the French National Research Agency, and former Vice-President of Médecins sans Frontières.