Our Cannibals, Ourselves

by Priscilla L. Walton

Why does Western culture remain fascinated with and saturated by cannibalism? Moving from the idea of the dangerous Other, Priscilla L. Walton's Our Cannibals, Ourselves shows us how modern-day cannibalism has been recaptured as in the vampire story, resurrected into the human blood stream, and mutated into the theory of germs through AIDS, Ebola, and the like. At the same time, it has expanded to encompass the workings of entire economic systems (such as in "consumer cannnibalism").
 
Our Cannibals, Ourselves is an interdisciplinary study of cannibalism in contemporary culture. It demonstrates how what we take for today's ordinary culture is imaginatively and historically rooted in very powerful processes of the encounter between our own and different, often "threatening," cultures from around the world. Walton shows that the taboo on cannibalism is heavily reinforced only partly out of fear of cannibals themselves; instead, cannibalism is evoked in order to use fear for other purposes, including the sale of fear entertainment.
 
Ranging from literature to popular journalism, film, television, and discourses on disease, Our Cannibals, Ourselves provides an all-encompassing, insightful meditation on what happens to popular culture when it goes global.
 

184 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Lobo · Rating 5 out of 5]

To jedna z najbardziej wciągających książek, jakie czytałam. Walton dekonstruuje antropologiczny mit kanibala jako dzikiego Innego, wykazując, że kanibalizm jest europejską praktyką kulturową i żywym fantazmatem kulturowym, który pomaga nam zrozumieć społeczeństwo i realia historyczno-kulturowe, w których żyjemy. Dosłownie połknęłam tę książkę.

[J.P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giggling and kicking my feet every time Patrick Bateman is mentioned.

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tbh this was such a satisfying read. Oftentimes, mapping sociocultural trends is a bitch, simply because you either end up with too much material to delve into, or not enough relevant things to talk about. Walton beat the game in the best way possible- by rolling with the tide and putting into context amazing tidbits on visual culture, literature, and the assorted historical trivia. Overall, a fine read, easy to digest, and compelling at its core.