The Anthropology of Extinction

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We live in an era marked by an accelerating rate of species death, butsince the early days of the discipline, anthropology has contemplated the death oflanguages, cultural groups, and ways of life. The essays in this collection examineprocesses of -- and our understanding of -- extinction across various domains. Thecontributors argue that extinction events can be catalysts for new cultural, social, environmental, and technological developments -- that extinction processes can, paradoxically, be productive as well as destructive. The essays consider a number ofwidely publicized cases: island species in Galapagos and Madagascar, the death ofNative American languages, ethnic minorities under pressure to assimilate in China, cloning as a form of species regeneration, and the tiny hominid Homo floresiensisfossils ("hobbits') recently identified in Indonesia. The Anthropology of Extinctionoffers compelling explorations of issues of widespread concern.