Description
Book SynopsisIt is the contemporary elixir from which all manner of being emerges, the metamorphic sublime, an alchemist's dream. So begins Palma Africana, the latest attempt by anthropologist Michael Taussig to make sense of the contemporary moment. But to what elixir does he refer? Palm oil. Saturating everything from potato chips to nail polish, palm oil has made its way into half of the packaged goods in our supermarkets. By 2020, world production will be double what it was in 2000. In Colombia, palm oil plantations are covering over one-time cornucopias of animal, bird, and plant life. Over time, they threaten indigenous livelihoods and give rise to abusive labor conditions and major human rights violations. The list of entwined horrorsclimatic, biological, socialis long. But Taussig takes no comfort in our usual labels: habitat loss, human rights abuses, climate change. The shock of these words has passed; nowadays it is all a blur. Hence, Taussig's keen attention to words and writing throug
