James Clifford is Professor Emeritus in the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
In writing about aboriginal peoples, Clifford aims to challenge the
apparently simple, exposing proofs of persistence and resilience
where others might resort to elegy.
*Times Literary Supplement*
Returns tracks the multiple and numerous narratives involved in
this reconceptualization of what it means to be ‘indigenous’ or
‘native’ in the cosmopolitan twenty-first century… Returns brings
new forms of analysis and perspectives to these debates owing to
its fresh consideration of cosmopolitanism and (post)modernity and
the impact of these upon indigeneity… Returns is of potential
interest to a range of readers—both those interested in the
anthropology of social movements but also scholars of knowledge and
intellectual history… Thoughtful and fascinating.
*LSE Review of Books*
Clifford brings together processes and phenomena that are commonly
regarded as antithetical—specifically, modernity and native
peoples. His is a detailed analysis of the connections and
multidimensional cultural relationships linking places and people
far and near… While native societies have indeed suffered, many
flourished in an increasingly interconnected world, a culturally
and demographically positive trend. Global in scope and covering
much ground, the book celebrates and explains the resurgence of
subordinated societies ranging from Pacific Islanders to Native
Americans, and discusses cultural renewal among the Maya as well as
the cultural and political aspirations of Catalonia.
*Choice*
Clifford deftly examines two major themes—globalization and
decolonization—and their complex impact on native lives… Clifford
successfully interweaves ideas from multiple disciplines including
anthropology, sociology, history, and political science to create a
fascinating cultural exploration.
*Library Journal*
Over the last forty years, indigenous peoples have gained
unprecedented global visibility. Too often, the academic response
has lurched between facile romanticism and disingenuous critique.
In contrast, James Clifford’s writings on these challenging
movements are insightful, balanced, and lucid. Returns is an
indispensable guide to a vital dimension of the present and the
future.
*Nicholas Thomas, University of Cambridge*
Homecomings as becomings: in this visionary book, Clifford shows us
what it means to listen for the entangled agencies of indigènitude
in various ‘primitive’ populations’ practices of survival and
self-renewal in the contemporary world. Rather than subsuming these
agencies under the uni-directional biopolitics of capitalist
modernity and Euro-American colonialism, he brings to them the
patience, dedication, and capaciousness of an ethnographic realism,
one that challenges our entrenched habits of teleological
historical thinking at every turn.
*Rey Chow, Duke University*
Like Clifford’s previous books, Returns is written for a broad
audience and demonstrates the range, generosity, and acuity of his
thinking. Using extended examples ranging from the Pacific to
California to Alaska, Clifford reflects provocatively on the
meaning of belonging to a place, reclaiming one’s heritage, and
forging indigenous futures. This book is destined to become as
significant for anthropology and cultural studies as its
predecessors.
*Pauline Strong, The University of Texas at Austin*
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