Christoph Antweiler – författare

Since the politicization of anthropology in the 1970s, most anthropologists have been reluctant to approach the topic of universals—that is, phenomena that occur regularly in all known human societies. In this volume, Christoph Antweiler reasserts the importance of these cross-cultural commonalities for anthropological research and for life and co-existence beyond the academy. The question presented here is how anthropology can help us approach humanity in its entirety, understanding the world less as a globe, with an emphasis on differences, but as a planet, from a vantage point open to commonalities.

In this book, anthropologist and geologist Christoph Antweiler shows that geology is a special, namely historical, natural science and is therefore relevant for a historically informed anthropology. He argues that we do not only need a geologically informed cultural anthropology, but conversely also an anthropologically oriented geology. A comprehensive geology must include material human culture as a fundamental geological phenomenon. In relation to cultural anthropology, the author discusses the challenge the Anthropocene poses for cultural anthropology as a traditionally micro-oriented social science. The book discusses where the blind spots lie in the highly interdisciplinary discussion. Common narratives are critically scrutinized. The author argues for the need for a new discipline: geoanthropology.

Die global vernetzte Welt wird kleiner und lässt uns nach kulturübergreifenden Orientierungen suchen. Politik und Religion brauchen ein Gespräch darüber, was die Einheit der Menschheit ausmacht. Wie kann eine humane Weltkultur aussehen, die Erfahrungen der europäischen Welt nicht einfach universalisiert?Christoph Antweiler bringt die Debatte um globale Ethik erstmals mit breiten kulturvergleichenden Erkenntnissen zusammen und befragt zentrale Positionen zu Kosmopolitismus und Weltgesellschaft, etwa von Anthony Appiah und Martha Nussbaum, auf ihre Tauglichkeit für den interkulturellen Umgang.

Southeast Asia is a laboratory showing current worldwide ecological issues. Environmental change, natural resource exploitation as well as global climate change increasingly threaten people''s livelihoods. Environmentally-based uncertainties foster a high level of knowledge uncertainty. This poses a constantly growing threat to agricultural production. Vulnerable communities with a low degree of resilience are most severely affected.But local communities have abilities to innovate and develop locally embedded coping strategies. The contributors of this volume are most interested in environmental change that fosters knowledge uncertainties. Regions discussed include the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, Moluccas, Central Kalimantan, West Sumatra and South Sulawesi in Indonesia and Tangail Region in Bangladesh.