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Under a Watchful Eye : Self, Power, and Intimacy in Amazonia - Harry Walker

Under a Watchful Eye

Self, Power, and Intimacy in Amazonia

By: Harry Walker

Hardcover | 19 November 2012 | Edition Number 1

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What does it mean to be accompanied? How can autonomy and a sense of self emerge through one's involvement with others? This book examines the formation of self among the Urarina, an Amazonian people of lowland Peru. Based on detailed ethnography, the analysis highlights the role of intimate but asymmetrical attachments and dependencies which begin in the womb, but can extend beyond human society to include a variety of animals, plants, spirits and material objects. It thereby raises fundamental questions about what it means to be alive, to be an experiencing subject, and to be human. From the highly personalized relationships that develop between babies and their hammocks, to the demonstrations of love and respect between spouses and the power asymmetries that structure encounters between shamans and spirits, hunters and game animals, or owners and pets, what emerges is a strong sense that the lived experience of togetherness lies at the heart of the human condition. Recognizing this relational quality of existence enables us to see how acting effectively in the world may be less a matter of individual self-assertion than learning how to elicit empathetic acts of care and attentiveness by endearing oneself to others.
Industry Reviews
"A joy to read, very thoughtful, and well written." American Anthropologist "[Walker] weaves elegantly his ethnography with a number of strands in Amazonian anthropology." Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

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Non-FictionSociology & AnthropologyAnthropologySocial & Cultural Anthropology, EthnographySociety & CultureSocial GroupsEthnic StudiesIndigenous PeoplesArchaeology

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