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James Ferguson

Born

June 16, 1959

Died

February 14, 2025

Genre

Science, Anthropology

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This is James^^^Ferguson.

James Ferguson was an American anthropologist. He is known for his work on the politics and anthropology of international development, specifically his critical stance (development criticism). He was chair of the Anthropology Department at Stanford University. His best-known work is his book, The Anti-Politics Machine. He delivered the most prestigious lecture in anthropology, the Morgan Lecture, in 2009, for his work on basic income.
Ferguson earned his B.A. in cultural anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an M.A. and Ph.D. in social anthropology from Harvard University.

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James Ferguson’s books

Average rating: 4.2 · 1,292 ratings · 88 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Anti-Politics Machine: "Development," Depoliticization, and Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho 4.29 avg rating — 655 ratings — published 1990 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Global Shadows: Africa in the Neoliberal World Order 4.25 avg rating — 266 ratings — published 2006 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Give a Man a Fish: Reflections on the New Politics of Distribution 4.14 avg rating — 157 ratings — published 2015 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Expectations of Modernity: Myths and Meanings of Urban Life on the Zambian Copperbelt (Perspectives on Southern Africa) (Volume 57) 3.92 avg rating — 149 ratings — published 1999 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Culture, Power, Place: Explorations in Critical Anthropology by Akhil Gupta (Editor), James Ferguson (Editor) 3.97 avg rating — 36 ratings — published 1997 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Anthropological Locations: Boundaries and Grounds of a Field Science by Akhil Gupta, James Ferguson (Editor) 3.67 avg rating — 30 ratings — published 1997 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by James Ferguson (?)

“Historical periodization always tells a story. It is a narrative device for putting meaning into the flux of historical process - creating protagonists, heroes, pace, and plot. For this reason, the division of history into periods always carries an ideological load, and it is a methodological imperative to approach questions of broad historical periodization with this in mind.”
― James Ferguson

tags: anthropology, critical-reading, historiography, history

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“[W]e might do better here to think of culture as fashion. And in fashion, of course, the key is not wearing a particular outfit but being able to wear it ... Clothing is a mere collection of garments; fashionability is a performative capacity, an ability to effect the right look through an effective combination of garments, social sense, and bodily performance.”
― James Ferguson, Expectations of Modernity: Myths and Meanings of Urban Life on the Zambian Copperbelt (Perspectives on Southern Africa)

tags: anthropology, culture, cultures, fashion, sociality, society

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Club de lecture S...: May 2019 \| The Almost Revolution: Development Aid Confronts Politics, by Thomas Carothers	6	5	Jun 14, 2019 12:50AM

James Ferguson’s Followers (45)

James Ferguson

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Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
James Ferguson’s books