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Social Science General

The Anthropology of Precious Minerals

edited by Elizabeth Ferry, Annabel Vallard & Andrew Walsh

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Dec 2019
Category
General, Physical, Cultural
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781487503178
    Publish Date
    Dec 2019
    List Price
    $63.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487517342
    Publish Date
    Nov 2019
    List Price
    $63.00

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Description

Why do people single out gold, sapphires, diamonds, and other minerals as particularly “precious”? What makes precious minerals “precious”? Drawing from ethnographic and cross-cultural research, this collection of anthropological essays and case studies answers these questions by exploring humans’ multifaceted relationships with the minerals they deem “precious.”

 

The Anthropology of Precious Minerals addresses the entanglement of humans and minerals, with a particular focus on the practices of scrappers, miners, and hunters as they work to extract value. The editors draw from history, archaeology, and ethnography, and remind us that “preciousness” must always be understood in relation to complex cultural, political-economic, and semiotic systems of value.

About the authors

Elizabeth Ferry is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Brandeis University.

Elizabeth Ferry's profile page

Annabel Vallard is a researcher at The National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS, France).

Annabel Vallard's profile page

Andrew Walsh is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Western University in London, Ontario. He has published in numerous journals, including American Anthropologist, American Ethnologist, and Anthropology Today.

Andrew Walsh's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"Collectively, the processes of mineral valuation and circulation of precious minerals illustrate that ‘preciousness’ should be defined relative to complex and dynamic cultural, political-economic, and semiotic value systems. Compelling, thoughtful analyses of affect and materiality."

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