Ethnographies of U.S. Empire

“Ethnographies of U.S. Empire is an exceptionally rich collection of articles on the variety of forms American imperialism takes, both internally (starting with the dispossession of Native peoples from their lands) and globally. And unlike some of the grander and less grounded takes on empire as an almost abstract phenomenon, these authors approach the problem ethnographically, through closely observed case studies that powerfully capture the texture of experience of real people in real places in a world of colonial, post-colonial, and imperial power.” - Sherry B. Ortner, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles

“Bringing together some of the most compelling and innovative ethnographers working today on U.S. empire, this volume makes a substantial and influential contribution to the critical study of U.S. imperial formations. It will be an indispensable touchstone for the discipline of anthropology and essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the complex dynamics of U.S. global power.” - Alyosha Goldstein, editor of Formations of United States Colonialism

"Ethnographies of U.S. Empire cover[s] myriad aspects of American life and history, from American conduct in dealing with indigenous peoples to the Iran-Contra conspiracy and the War on Terror. . . . The nearly 50-page bibliography offers a sturdy jumping-off point for further study. . . .  Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty." - S.J. Zuber-Chall, Choice

"This edited volume and its refusal to comply with dominant research writing and reading practices that may obfuscate the category of empire is a powerful statement about the future of anthropological inquiry and empire." - Mariam Durrani, Transforming Anthropology

"These essays raise important questions not always broached by historians, particularly the consequences and materiality of rumor, conspiracy, epistemology, and neoliberalism. The volume will be useful for students and scholars of U.S. empire, and it encourages interdisciplinary conversations between historians and anthropologists." - Jana Kate Lipman, Journal of American History

"Beyond the scholarship on specific themes or geographic areas, each chapter does an excellent job of locating the lived experiences in particular places within the overall context of empire. The book offers a strong refutation of the idea that postmodern empires are uniform or deterritorial. Its strength is the methodology of placing peoples’ ideas and actions within the wider context of global forces." - Lanny Thompson, New West Indian Guide

"These essays raise important questions not always broached by historians, particularly the consequences and materiality of rumor, conspiracy, epistemology, and neoliberalism. The volume will be useful for students and scholars of U.S. empire, and it encourages interdisciplinary conversations between historians and anthropologists." - Jana Kate Lipman, Journal of American History

"Engaging emerging, multidisciplinary conversations across anthropology, American studies, and postcolonial studies about how empire operates and endures, Ethnographies of U.S. Empire is a reflection both on empire and on ethnography. Together, the chapters make a case for ethnographic research as a way of studying empire, as a method that offers not a bounded or concise definition of what makes an empire, but rather an expansive sense of how people live with and within the imperial present." - Emma Shaw Crane, Society & Space

“The book offers a strong refutation of the idea that post-modern empires are uniform or deterritorial. Its strength is the methodology of placing peoples’ ideas and actions within the wider context of global forces.” - Lanny Thompson, Asian Journal of Social Science