Matter Out of Place - Anthropological Explorations of Bodies, Dirt and Morality

Anthropologists often use 'pollution' to refer to social and individual challenges to a cultural idea of purity, which may be seen in terms of religious practice, foodstuffs and social differentiation. It has been used as a trope to explore ideas of dirt and place, moral inversion and reinforcement, disgust and taboo.

The book is an invitation to consider the continued relevance of Mary Douglas' conceptualization of pollution and dirt as 'matter out of place' in relation to contemporary circumstances. Its ethnographic and theoretical contributions cover diverse contexts, ranging from Europe to Africa, the Caribbean, India and Outer Space.

About the author

Rebecca Lynch is Lecturer in Medical Anthropology at the University of Exeter. Her work explores the body and biomedicine, particularly bodily fluids and boundaries, bodily relations with non-humans (e.g., technologies), morality and biomedical categorization.

Roland Littlewood is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Psychiatry at University College London. He is a former president of the RAI and has published eight books.

Joseph Calabrese is Reader in Medical Anthropology at University College London. He has undertaken fieldwork in the Navajo Nation, Haiti, the USA, and Bhutan.

Product details

• Authors: Rebecca Littlewood Lynch
• Assisted by: Joseph Calabrese (Editor), Calabrese Joseph (Editor), Roland Littlewood (Editor), Littlewood Roland (Editor), Rebecca Lynch (Editor), Lynch Rebecca (Editor)
• Publisher: BERGHAHN BOOKS, INC
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.01.2025
• EAN: 9781805396833
• ISBN: 978-1-80539-683-3
• No. of pages: 204
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); Social Theory, PHILOSOPHY / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Social Theory, Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography, Ethics & moral philosophy, Ethics and moral philosophy, Social and cultural anthropology, Anthropology (General); Anthropology of Religion; Sociology