BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

Palma Africana
Stock photo: cover may vary

Palma Africana Hardback -

by Michael Taussig

Add to wish list

Reader reviews for Palma Africana

From the publisher

"It 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 horrors--climatic, biological, social--is 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 throughout this work. He takes cues from precursors' ruminations: Roland Barthes's suggestion that trees form an alphabet in which the palm tree is the loveliest; William Burroughs's retort to critics that for him words are alive like animals and don't like to be kept in pages--cut them and the words are let free.

Steeped in a lifetime of philosophical and ethnographic exploration, Palma Africana undercuts the banality of the destruction taking place all around us and offers a penetrating vision of the global condition. Richly illustrated and written with experimental verve, this book is Taussig's Tristes Tropiques for the twenty-first century.

Details

  • Title Palma Africana
  • Author Michael Taussig
  • Binding Hardback
  • Pages 224
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University of Chicago Press
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index
  • ISBN 9780226515946 / 022651594X
  • Weight 1.05 lbs (0.48 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 in (23.11 x 15.49 x 2.29 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: Latin America
  • Category Archaeology / Anthropology
  • Library of Congress subjects Colombia - Environmental conditions, Colombia - Social conditions
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2017055301
  • Dewey Decimal Code 338.173

About the author

Michael Taussig is the Class of 1933 Professor of Anthropology at Columbia University. He is the author of several books, including The Corn Wolf and Beauty and the Beast, both published by the University of Chicago Press.

More Copies for Sale

Palma Africana

Palma Africana

by Michael Taussig

  • New
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226515946 / 022651594x
Quantity available
3
Seller
Item price
A$169.93
A$19.12 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Hardback. New. “It 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 horrors—climatic, biological, social—is 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… Read more
Add to wish list
Item price
A$169.93
A$19.12 Delivery to USA
Palma Africana
Stock photo: cover may vary

Palma Africana

by Taussig, Michael

  • New
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226515946 / 022651594X
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$179.82
A$48.04 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Univ of Chicago Pr, 2018. Hardcover. New. 258 pages. 9.25x6.25x1.00 inches.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$179.82
A$48.04 Delivery to USA
Palma Africana
Stock photo: cover may vary

Palma Africana

by Taussig, Michael,

  • Used
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226515946 / 022651594x
Quantity available
3
Seller
Item price
A$156.89
A$5.72 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
like new.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$156.89
A$5.72 Delivery to USA
Palma Africana
Stock photo: cover may vary

Palma Africana

by Taussig, Michael,

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226515946 / 022651594x
Quantity available
3
Seller
Item price
A$156.89
A$5.72 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
new.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$156.89
A$5.72 Delivery to USA
Palma Africana
Stock photo: cover may vary

Palma Africana

by Taussig, Michael

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226515946 / 022651594X
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$182.19
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
hardcover. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$182.19
Free Delivery to USA
Palma Africana
Stock photo: cover may vary

Palma Africana

by Taussig, Michael

  • New
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Edition
Illustrated
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226515946 / 022651594X
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$197.25
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, 2018-05-01. Illustrated. hardcover. New. 6.00x0.90x9.00. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$197.25
Free Delivery to USA
Palma Africana
Stock photo: cover may vary

Palma Africana

by Taussig, Michael

  • Used
  • Hardback
Condition
Used
Edition
Illustrated
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226515946 / 022651594X
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$204.59
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, 2018-05-01. Illustrated. hardcover. Used: Good. 6.00x0.90x9.00. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$204.59
Free Delivery to USA
Palma Africana
Stock photo: cover may vary

Palma Africana

  • New
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226515946 / 022651594X
Quantity available
3
Seller
Item price
A$209.06
A$5.72 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
. Hardback. New.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$209.06
A$5.72 Delivery to USA