Bücher der Reihe Anthropology, Culture and Soci

'Engaging, rich and nuanced, this book exposes the deep dilemmas facing this Arctic archipelago. A must for anyone with an interest in the challenges of a melting world. Ethnography at its best' Marianne E. Lien, Professor, University of Oslo'Rich and deeply textured ... Zdenka Sokolí¿ková demonstrates how the logic of extraction intersects awkwardly with community, environment, geopolitics and sustainability' Klaus Dodds, Professor, Royal Holloway University of London'Lucidly captures the dilemmas of maintaining community in the world's northernmost settlement, where climate change is particularly evident. Highly recommended!' Cecilie Vindal Ødegaard, Professor, University of BergenLongyearbyen in the Arctic is the world's northernmost settlement. Here, climate change is happening fast. It is clearly sensed by the locals; with higher temperatures, more rain and permafrost thaw. At the same time, the town is shifting from state-controlled coal production to tourism, research and development. It is rapidly globalising, with numerous languages spoken, and with cruise ships sounding their horns in the harbour while planes land and take off.A small town of 2,400 inhabitants on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, Longyearbyen provides a unique view into the unmistakable relationship between global capitalism and climate change. The Paradox of Svalbard looks at local and global trends to access a deep understanding of the effects of tourism, immigration and labour on the trajectory of the climate crisis, and what can be done to reverse it.Zdenka Sokolí¿ková is a researcher at the University of Hradec Králové, Czechia, and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Her research in Longyearbyen was hosted by the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo, Norway.

'A new and compelling argument for why so many institutions continue to be spellbound by rankings and metrics - despite the cultural carnage they cause. How can we halt this "death by audit"? The authors develop a radical agenda that will strike fear into number-loving technocrats around the world' Peter Fleming, author of Dark Academia: How Universities Die'A powerful and definitive critical diagnosis of the effects of audit culture on individuals, organisations and society. Essential reading' Michael Power, Professor, LSE'A visionary book' Marilyn Strathern, Emeritus Professor, University of CambridgeAll aspects of our work and private lives are increasingly measured and managed. But how has this 'audit culture' arisen and what kind of a world is it producing? Cris Shore and Susan Wright provide a timely account of the rise of the new industries of accounting, enumeration and ranking from an anthropological perspective. Audit Culture is the first book to systematically document and analyse these phenomena and their implications for democracy. The book explores how audit culture operates across a wide range of fields, including health, higher education, NGOs, finance, the automobile industry and the military. The authors build a powerful critique of contemporary public sector management in an age of neoliberal market-making, privatisation and outsourcing. They conclude by offering ideas about how to reverse its damaging effects on communities, and restore the democratic accountability that audit culture is systematically undermining.Cris Shore is Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, Central European University. One of his recent publications is The Shapeshifting Crown. Susan Wright is Professor of Educational Anthropology at Aarhus University, Denmark. One of her recent books is Enacting the University. Together they are co-editors of the Stanford Anthropology of Policy book series.

"Contains precious insights into what made David Graeber the most innovative social thinker of our time, and why the legacy of his ideas will inspire projects of emancipation for generations" - David Wengrow, Professor, University College London, co-author with David Graeber of The Dawn of Everything"A must-read for anyone who believes in the power of academia as activism" - Sophie Chao, University of SydneyDavid Graeber (1961-2020) was an American anthropologist and anarchist activist who left us with new ways to understand humankind. His writings picked apart political power and social hierarchy to reveal what makes human society tick.As If Already Free collects his most important insights in one book, showing how his writing resonates today for activists looking to shake things up, and explaining how his powerful and accessible ideas can be applied to a wide range of topics, from birth to banking.In today's neoliberal world, we can turn to Graeber's legacy to provide a way for us to understand what went wrong, and how to fix it. This collection is both an introduction to his life and works, a guide to his key ideas, and an inspiring example of how anthropologists are continuing to use his work today.Holly High is an Associate Professor at Deakin University, Australia. She has written two books, Fields of Desire and Projectland. Joshua O. Reno is a Professor at Binghamton University, US. A socio-cultural anthropologist, he is the author of Waste Away, Military Waste and co-author of Imagining the Heartland.