Living in the Stone Age

Reflections on the Origins of a Colonial Fantasy

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Asia, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Living in the Stone Age by Danilyn Rutherford, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Danilyn Rutherford ISBN: 9780226570389
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: October 24, 2018
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Danilyn Rutherford
ISBN: 9780226570389
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: October 24, 2018
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

In 1961, John F. Kennedy referred to the Papuans as “living, as it were, in the Stone Age.” For the most part, politicians and scholars have since learned not to call people “primitive,” but when it comes to the Papuans, the Stone-Age stain persists and for decades has been used to justify denying their basic rights. Why has this fantasy held such a tight grip on the imagination of journalists, policy-makers, and the public at large?
 
Living in the Stone Age answers this question by following the adventures of officials sent to the New Guinea highlands in the 1930s to establish a foothold for Dutch colonialism.  These officials became deeply dependent on the good graces of their would-be Papuan subjects, who were their hosts, guides, and, in some cases, friends. Danilyn Rutherford shows how, to preserve their sense of racial superiority, these officials imagined that they were traveling in the Stone Age—a parallel reality where their own impotence was a reasonable response to otherworldly conditions rather than a sign of ignorance or weakness. Thus, Rutherford shows, was born a colonialist ideology.
 
Living in the Stone Age is a call to write the history of colonialism differently, as a tale of weakness not strength. It will change the way readers think about cultural contact, colonial fantasies of domination, and the role of anthropology in the postcolonial world.
 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1961, John F. Kennedy referred to the Papuans as “living, as it were, in the Stone Age.” For the most part, politicians and scholars have since learned not to call people “primitive,” but when it comes to the Papuans, the Stone-Age stain persists and for decades has been used to justify denying their basic rights. Why has this fantasy held such a tight grip on the imagination of journalists, policy-makers, and the public at large?
 
Living in the Stone Age answers this question by following the adventures of officials sent to the New Guinea highlands in the 1930s to establish a foothold for Dutch colonialism.  These officials became deeply dependent on the good graces of their would-be Papuan subjects, who were their hosts, guides, and, in some cases, friends. Danilyn Rutherford shows how, to preserve their sense of racial superiority, these officials imagined that they were traveling in the Stone Age—a parallel reality where their own impotence was a reasonable response to otherworldly conditions rather than a sign of ignorance or weakness. Thus, Rutherford shows, was born a colonialist ideology.
 
Living in the Stone Age is a call to write the history of colonialism differently, as a tale of weakness not strength. It will change the way readers think about cultural contact, colonial fantasies of domination, and the role of anthropology in the postcolonial world.
 

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book Anthropology and Global Counterinsurgency by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Cul de Sac by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Wallis's War by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Philosophy of Pseudoscience by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Isa Genzken by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Why Niebuhr Now? by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Professing Literature by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Albrecht Dürer and the Epistolary Mode of Address by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Five Words by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Acolytes of Nature by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book The Venture of Islam, Volume 3 by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book The Politics of Belonging by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book When Middle-Class Parents Choose Urban Schools by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Feminism by Danilyn Rutherford
Cover of the book Handbook for Science Public Information Officers by Danilyn Rutherford
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy