Monster Anthropology In Australasia And Beyond

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The monsters that anthropologists encounter in their field sites differ significantly from those portrayed and analyzed in the thriving interdisciplinary literature-anthropology's monsters haunt off the pages of books and screens of televisions. These monsters come in all sorts of (non-gothic) guises, and their presence is inextricably intertwined with the lives of those they haunt.

Offering a dialogue between anthropology and literature, media, and cultural studies, this book presents fine-grained ethnographic vignettes of monsters dwelling in the contemporary world, from Aboriginal Australia in the Pacific to Asia and Europe. Review: Monster Anthropology in Australasia and Beyond marks a substantial, breath-taking entry of anthropology into monster studies.

Catalysts to story and action, monsters are shown in these lucid, innovative essays to accomplish cultural work that is essential, local and real. Admirably interdisciplinary, the book belongs on the shelf of every scholar interested in how the borders of difference are patrolled by figures of menace and allure.

But keep the light on as you read. - Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, George Washington University, USA This book presents a wonderfully engaging group of essays highlighting the significant contribution of anthropology to the fascinating but largely literature-based discipline of monster studies. The volume's ethnographic richness demonstrates the importance of monster figures in cultures worldwide.

The authors - many of whom conducted extensive fieldwork - take the 'reality' of monsters seriously and demonstrate how tangible and personal the presence of monsters can be in countries as diverse as Australia, Georgia, and Iceland. - D. Felton, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA Don't be scared by the outre subject matter - this is anthropology in the best sense of the word: richly ethnographic case studies combine with a broad, cross-cultural framework to theorize the monstrous.

This book is a superb example of anthropology's ability to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue without giving up its disciplinary commitments. - Alex Golub, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, USA