Marc Abélès

The Politics of Survival

In this provocative analysis of global politics, the anthropologist Marc Abeles argues that the meaning and aims of political action have radically changed in the era of globalization. As dangers such as terrorism and global warming have moved to the fore of global consciousness, foreboding has replaced the belief that tomorrow will be better than today. Survival, outlasting the uncertainties and threats of a precarious future, has supplanted harmonious coexistence as the primary goal of politics. Abeles contends that this political reorientation has changed our priorities and modes of political action, and generated new debates and initiatives. The proliferation of supranational and transnational organizations—from the European Union to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to Oxfam—is the visible effect of this radical transformation in our relationship to the political realm. Areas of governance as diverse as the economy, the environment, and human rights have been partially taken over by such agencies. Non-governmental organizations in particular have become linked with the mindset of risk and uncertainty; they both reflect and help produce the politics of survival. Abeles examines the new global politics, which assumes many forms and is enacted by diverse figures with varied sympathies: the officials at meetings of the WTO and the demonstrators outside them, celebrity activists, and online contributors to international charities. He makes an impassioned case that our accounts of globalization need to reckon with the preoccupations and affiliations now driving global politics. The Politics of Survival was first published in France in 2006. This English-language edition has been revised and includes a new preface.

Quiet days in Burgundy : a study of local politics

Preface to the English edition Preface to the French edition List of abbreviations A note on French elections Map of the department of the Yonne 1. Who is eligible? 2. Dynasties 3. Ups and downs in politics 4. The new deal: decentralisation 5. Parachuting in 6. The communist party and real life 7. Deputy and mayor Conclusion Notes.

La guerre vue d'Ochollo (Éthiopie méridionale)

ABSTRACTThis is an analysis of the antagonistic relations between the Ochollo, a Gamo population in south-west Ethiopia, and the surrounding ethnic groups. The Ochollo have often been raided by the Guji; they have fought against the Wohtmo. These societies are organized according different principles and use fighting methods different from those of the Ochollo. What do the latter think of their enemies? This article, in which the Ochollo themselves talk about their wars and their feats, brings out the characteristics of the war carried on by this society.

Some Observations on the Impact of Neoliberalism on Research Policy in France

This article addresses the issue of the influence of neoliberalism on French research institutions, especially the future of the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research), a public organisation devoted exclusively to doing research. CNRS’s detractors argue that there is no reason to keep a specific research organisation in France. The hiring of fewer and fewer researchers, as soon as the baby-boomers retire, means the disappearance of what is considered, at the European level, a French exception. In this paper I try to analyse the impact of the change occuring in research policy, and to characterise the specific features of the global ideological context. Anthropology in Action, Volume 12, Issue 1 (2005): 20-23

Un anthropologue chez les élus locaux

Ein Anthropologe bei den Gemeinderaten. ; Wie erlangt man die Macht, eine Mitburger zu vertreten ? Wem erteilt man sein politisches Vertrauen ? Wahlen werden nicht vom Zufall gesteuert, durch Generationen hindurch bleiben sie Familienangelegenheit. Das franzosische politische Modell bringt eine Vielzahl kleiner lokaler Zentren hervor, die unter einander durch Abgeordnete verschiedener politischer Couleur vernetzt sind. Reformen konnen nur greifen, wenn sie mit diesem Polyzentrismus einen Kompromis eingehen, wie es die interkommunalen Vereinbarungen anstreben.