Subversive Archaism

“In Subversive Archaism, Michael Herzfeld proposes the concept of ‘subversive archaism,’ a bold new paradigm to investigate forms of resistance by which people claiming to represent authentic national communities thwart incursions on their autonomy by bureaucratic authorities. The writing is lucid, at times lyrical. The utilization of the anthropological archive is masterful. Above all, the comparative ethnography is impeccable, yielding a profoundly human document of the lives and struggles of people in Greece and Thailand during periods of upheaval and change.” - Douglas R. Holmes, Distinguished Professor, Binghamton University, State University of New York

“Working closely with citizens and social movements that are portrayed as affronts to modernity, Michael Herzfeld shows us how state authorities both fetishize and are threatened by the ‘subversive archaism’ of marginalized groups, especially those who proudly embrace their alterity and believe they have morally superior claims to national identity. The book offers an acute assessment of belonging and resistance in nation-state formations, and it does so using ethnographic materials that mainstream political science and orthodox nationalists would rather we ignore.” - Andrew Shryock, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Anthropology, University of Michigan

"Herzfeld’s Subversive Archaism is a masterly comparative study that will define scholarship on Greece and Thailand for many years to come. Scholars and graduate students of Greek and Thai studies, anthropology, political science, and sociology will benefit greatly from his deep knowledge of cultural anthropology and the richness of his fieldwork studies." - Eftychia Mylona, IIAS Review

"This work makes an important contribution to the anthropology of the state, providing a set of concepts that help clarify the often troubling rise of traditionalist fundamentalisms globally. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty."
  - J. MacKenzie, Choice

“Herzfeld has delineated an approach to human lives too often dismissed as marginal, self-destructive, or blinkered, to instead foreground exemplary civility, empathy, and creativity. . . . The book closes with . . . a powerful and passionate call for anthropology’s sustained attention to the human virtues of resilience, humor, and mutuality as an antidote to the despair conjured and fed through the ersatz patriotism of charlatan-zealots.” - Keith Brown, Journal of Anthropological Research

"Subversive Archaism is an important, and timely, contribution to understandings of polity and politics in a moment when the need to imagine life otherwise is urgently needed." - Jatin Dua, HAU

"The book is a pleasure to read, and brims with useful ideas on every page. The concept is also sufficiently generalizable, so that it will likely be cited far and wide, and it will apply to numerous contexts beyond the cases he has used. Congratulations are in order." - Erik Harms, HAU

"In providing these rich multisited ethnographic observations, combined with archival interventions, about the embodied and lived experiences of nationalisms and heritage negotiation, Herzfeld unapologetically offers us a masterful comparative anthropological reframing in the ongoing study of nation-states." - Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, HAU

"Subversive Archaism's comparative perspective emerges from detailed and sensitive local ethnography that is grounded in historical contingencies and, especially, the commonalities in the political history of the two places." - Katerina Rozakou, HAU

"Michael Herzfeld's new book, Subversive Archaism, unravels the wavering hyphen of the nation-state and introduces a new way of thinking about local defiance that moves beyond the statist dichotomy between the margin and the state." - Pinkaew Laungaramsri, HAU

"Ultimately, Herzfeld’s model of subversive archaism offers us an example of understanding how marginalised groups challenge and subvert authority. Herzfeld is not proposing that any given group needs to fit neatly into the category of subversive archaists, but rather how some groups reach back into the past to offer an alternative future. . . .  I suspect that given the rise of nationalist movements across the globe, the tools of subversive archaism, rather than subversive archaists groups per se, will become all the more visible." - Olivia Porter, LSE Review of Books

“A timely contribution to the discussion on heritage, identity, and resistance vis-à-vis the nation-state in its bureaucratic, modern, and neoliberal form. . . . What captures the reader’s attention is Herzfeld’s skill in revealing the minutiae ethnographic details of the workings of social and political life in the communities he has studied. His analysis invites the reader into the little-known world of Greek shepherds and Thai urbanites, making them feel as if they are sitting at the table with them, enjoying the conviviality of a shared meal, a glass of wine, and local gossip."

“The book generates analytical framings that breathe new life into the anthropology of the state. . . . It is highly readable and will be of interest to a wide audience across the social sciences.”

“Compelling and very readable." - Eric Hirsch, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

“In this rich advance on Herzfeld’s earlier work, ‘subversive archaism’ emerges as a portfolio of practices that are less interested in reforming structures of governance than they are in advancing civility through the embrace of all citizens."