Engaging Evil - A Moral Anthropology

Anthropologists have expressed wariness about the concept of evil even in discussions of morality and ethics, in part because the concept carries its own cultural baggage and theological implications in Euro-American societies. Addressing the problem of evil as a distinctly human phenomenon and a category of ethnographic analysis, this volume shows the usefulness of engaging evil as a descriptor of empirical reality where concepts such as violence, criminality, and hatred fall short of capturing the darkest side of human existence.

About the author

William C. Olsen is a lecturer for anthropology and African studies at Georgetown University.

Thomas J. Csordas is Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and James Y. Chan Presidential Chair in Global Health at the University of California, San Diego.

Product details

• Authors: William C. Csordas Olsen
• Assisted by: Thomas J. Csordas (Editor), Csordas Thomas J. (Editor), William C. Olsen (Editor), Olsen William C. (Editor)
• Publisher: BERGHAHN BOOKS, INC
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.10.2022
• EAN: 9781800736405
• ISBN: 978-1-80073-640-5
• No. of pages: 322
• Series: Methodology & History in Anthr; Methodology & History in Anthropology
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works; PHILOSOPHY / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, PHILOSOPHY / Good & Evil, Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography, Ethics & moral philosophy, Social issues & processes, Ethics and moral philosophy, Social and cultural anthropology, Social and ethical issues