Corruption

Corruption: Anthropological Perspectives breaks new descriptive and theoretical ground for anthropology. It deals seriously with a topic that was frequently rationalized by anthropologists in the past in the name of cultural relativism. The authors question what "corruption" could possibly mean, but they also give no quarter to those who would claim that the exploiters of the world are merely following cultural convention in abusing their fellow community members. From the complexity of the corporate Enron scandal to skullduggery at the village level in the Balkans, the expert authors create a lively forum. In an especially welcome turn, one section of the book deals with discourse about corruption, showing both how endemic this practice is, and yet how easily it inflames and angers humans everywhere. -- William Beeman, Professor of Anthropology, Brown University and Visiting Professor of Cultural and Social Anthropology, Stanford University An exceptionally timely anthropological response to an increasingly insistent global discourse of 'good governance', this excellent collection offers fresh and sophisticated perspectives for cross-cultural analysis of the meanings and roles of 'corruption', transcending the boundary between North and South to provide a constructive critique of the discourse itself. The editors have richly delivered on their claim that 'corruption' is 'good to think with'. -- John Gledhill, Max Gluckman Professor of Social Anthropology, The University of Manchester