Lisa L. Gezon - Böcker

From khat to kava to ketamine, drugs are constitutive parts of cultures, identities, economies and livelihoods. This much-needed book is a clear introduction to the anthropology of drugs, providing a cutting-edge and accessible overview of the topic. The authors examine and assess the following key topics:How drugs feature in anthropology and the work of anthropologists and the general role of drugs in societyComparison between biochemical and pharmacological approaches to drugs and bio-socio-cultural models of understanding drugsEvolutionary origins of psychotropic drug sensitivity and archaeological evidence for the spread of psychoactive substances in pre-historyDrugs in spiritual and religions contexts, considering their role in altered states of consciousness, divination and healingStimulant drugs and the ambivalence with which they are treated in societyAddiction and dependencyDrug economies, livelihoods and the production and distribution segments of drug commodity chainsDrug policies and drug warsDrugs, race and genderThe future of the study of drugs and anthropological professional engagements with solving drug problemsWith the inclusion of chapter summaries and many examples, further reading and case studies – including drug tourism, drug industries in the Philippines and Mexico, Afghanistan and the ‘Golden Triangle’ and the opioid crisis in North America – The Anthropology of Drugs is an ideal introduction for those coming to the topic for the first time, and also for those working in the professional and health sectors. It will be of interest to students of anthropology and to those in related disciplines including sociology, psychology, health studies and religion.

From khat to kava to ketamine, drugs are constitutive parts of cultures, identities, economies and livelihoods. This much-needed book is a clear introduction to the anthropology of drugs, providing a cutting-edge and accessible overview of the topic. The authors examine and assess the following key topics:How drugs feature in anthropology and the work of anthropologists and the general role of drugs in societyComparison between biochemical and pharmacological approaches to drugs and bio-socio-cultural models of understanding drugsEvolutionary origins of psychotropic drug sensitivity and archaeological evidence for the spread of psychoactive substances in pre-historyDrugs in spiritual and religions contexts, considering their role in altered states of consciousness, divination and healingStimulant drugs and the ambivalence with which they are treated in societyAddiction and dependencyDrug economies, livelihoods and the production and distribution segments of drug commodity chainsDrug policies and drug warsDrugs, race and genderThe future of the study of drugs and anthropological professional engagements with solving drug problemsWith the inclusion of chapter summaries and many examples, further reading and case studies – including drug tourism, drug industries in the Philippines and Mexico, Afghanistan and the ‘Golden Triangle’ and the opioid crisis in North America – The Anthropology of Drugs is an ideal introduction for those coming to the topic for the first time, and also for those working in the professional and health sectors. It will be of interest to students of anthropology and to those in related disciplines including sociology, psychology, health studies and religion.

In her new book, Gezon argues that local events continuously redefine and challenge global processes of land use and land degradation. She challenges analytical distinctions between separate 'local' and 'global' spaces, rather proposing that the global is one aspect of the local, to the extent that people in any given locale must act within the parameters of policies, authorities, and material conditions that have sources outside of the reach of immediate local networks. Her ethnographic study of Antankarana-identifying rice farmers and cattle herders in northern Madagascar weaves together an analysis of remotely sensed images of land cover over time with ethnographies of situated negotiations between human actors. She focuses in particular on the interplay of political authorities-including family-based elders, a regional indigenous authority, and an NGO charged with enforcement of conservation policies-in the context of specific contests over resource access. Gezon takes a micro-political approach in evaluating conflicts that result in a change in control over local resources by global or supra-national policies, capital, or personnel. Her book will be particularly valuable to researchers and students in anthropology, geography, sociology, and environmental studies, and those involved in conservation and resource management.