Description
Book SynopsisLaura A. Ogden considers a wide range of people, animal, and objects together as a way to catalog the ways environmental change and colonial history are entangled in the Fuegian Archipelago of southernmost Chile and Argentina.
Trade Review“One of the most brilliant and compelling aspects of this beautiful little book is Laura A. Ogden's voice. A woman's seasoned, feminist, highly attuned and tuned, expertly lived voice, it leads us graciously into a critical world of wonder and loss—a collective looking around at what could have been and might still be.
Loss and Wonder at the World's End is sharply, fiercely loving. It teaches us to live and think differently. This is a masterful, inspiring, wholly original work.” -- Kathleen Stewart, coauthor of * The Hundreds *
“In its freshness of vision, its first-person mode of presentation, its openheartedness, and its scattering of materials in delicate montages,
Loss and Wonder at the World's End is such fun to read. Laura A. Ogden's persistent view of history throughout the text as multivalent, dense, and mysterious is wonderful.” -- Michael T. Taussig, author of * Mastery of Non-mastery in the Age of Meltdown *
"Ogden’s book is a nonlinear presentation, a meticulously articulated variety of thought on the Fuegian world. It is many stories well told that continue evolving, and although its academic style is not always attractive to lay audiences,
Loss and Wonder at the World’s End is a highly recommended, fun to read book for those interested in world boundaries, what lies beyond them, and their place within the legacy of imperialism." -- Yoly Zentella * Journal of Global South Studies *
"The book could be very useful in an introduction to environmental anthropology, cultural anthropology, or regional history. The volume is well produced, and the photographs are abundant, well-chosen, and thought provoking. I learned a variety of specific things, was reminded of others in new contexts, and laughed out loud (in a good way) at still others." -- John H. Walker * Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology *
"The eclectic parts of
Loss and Wonder at the World’s End hold together with the improbable coherence of sticks and mud that make up a beaver dam. Each piece has its own valence, but recurring strands of inquiry and reflection link the elements in multiple ways, inviting the reader to retrace their steps in a creative reordering of content. These characteristics, along with a humble tone and presentation, makes this an accessible and thought-provoking text for a wide audience. Meanwhile, it offers valuable contributions to method, theory and scholarly debate, in relation not only to the Fuegian region but also to wider reimaginings of socio-environmental change." -- Alex Latta * Bulletin of Latin American Research *
Table of ContentsThe World's End: A Figure 1
Introduction. Loss and Wonder 4
The Explorer's Refrain: A Figure 15
1. The Earth as Archive 21
Arturo Escobar: A Figure 44
The Archival Earth: A Figure 47
2. Alternative Archives of the Present 51
Lichens on the Beach: A Figure 57
3. An Empire of Skin 62
The Anthropologist: A Figure 86
4. Stolen Images 91
Lewis Henry Morgan: A Figure 107
5. Dreamworlds of Beavers 111
Traces of Derrida: A Figure 127
Anne Chapman: A Figure 130
Conclusion. Birdsong 133
Gratitude: A Figuration 141
Notes 145
Bibliography 169
Index 183
