Lost People: Magic and the Legacy of Slavery in Madagascar

Betafo, a rural community in central Madagascar, is divided between the descendants of nobles and descendants of slaves. Anthropologist David Graeber arrived for fieldwork at the height of tensions attributed to a disastrous communal ordeal two years earlier. As Graeber uncovers the layers of historical, social, and cultural knowledge required to understand this event, he elaborates a new view of power, inequality, and the political role of narrative. Combining theoretical subtlety, a compelling narrative line, and vividly drawn characters, Lost People is a singular contribution to the anthropology of politics and the literature on ethnographic writing.

• Author
• David Graeber

• Format
• paperback

• Pages
• 488

• Publisher
• Indiana University Press

• Language
• english

• ISBN
• 9780253219152

• Genres
• anthropology, africa, madagascar, ethnography, politics

• Release date
• 2007