Description
Book SynopsisIn
Who Counts? Diane M. Nelson presents a complex reading of mathematics and the contested and myriad ways it is used by the Guatemalan state to marginalize indigenous populations as well as its use by indigenous peoples to critique systemic inequalities.
Trade Review"...I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in Guatemala, postgenocidal reconstruction, environmental justice movements, or the social embeddedness of economic rationality." -- Rebecca Nelson * Anthropology Book Forum *
"In the end, it is a meditation on both Guatemala and numbers that Nelson offers, and . . . for me her book succeeds on both counts." -- Douglas V. Porpora * American Ethnologist *
"Diane Nelson has a special talent for capturing Guatemala’s complicated contradictions in artful and compelling ways....
Who Counts? is full of clever observations and insightful analysis. It is that rare academic book that is thoughtful and provocative while also delightful to read."
-- Edward F. Fischer * Bulletin of Latin American Research *
"Without sacrificing intellectual rigor, the book is written in a conversational tone, making it an enjoyable read.... Scholars who study truth commissions and reparations, as well as those who investigate lived experiences of imperialism and neoliberalism, will find the book especially useful. In general, the book is highly recommended for readers interested in how numbers and counting systems organize social life and shape our understanding of the world." -- Brandi Townsend * The Latin Americanist *
"A must-read for scholars of genocide, human rights, and Indigenous organizing throughout the Americas. . . . In this third book of what Nelson calls a genocide trilogy (263), she masterfully crafts an expansive analysis of Maya lifeways in precarious postwar Guatemala. Readers familiar with her previous work will recognize Nelson’s almost dizzying ability to weave together seemingly disconnected and discrete quotidian experiences with divergent theories to render a cogent, layered analysis that is intensified with each page of her book. . . . An ethnography that will resonate throughout the Americas." -- Brigittine M. French * Ethnohistory *
Table of ContentsPreface xi
-1. Chapter Minus One 1
Part I. When You Count You Begin with 1, 2, 3
0. Bookkeeping 7
1. Before and After-Math 37
Part II. Bonesetting
2. The Algebra of Genocide 63
3. Reunion of Broken Parts 93
Part III. Mayan Pyramids
4. 100% Omnilife 121
5. Mayan Pyramid (Scheme) 157
Part IV. Yes to Life = NO to Mining
6. A Life's Worth 189
7. Beyond Adequacy 227
Notes 265
References 281
Index 297
