“This is a history which has largely yet to be written, but there are glimmerings.”

What a great little book! It’s nice and short, well formatted, and accessible. I was instantly hooked. And now, after finishing it, I feel inspired. Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology is astonishingly thoughtful and thought-provoking for such a quick read.

There are a few subjects on which Graeber could have said more. For example, towards the end of the book, he talks about identity politics. He chooses to focus on the ways in which people are categorised from the outside, with labels (eg: Black) being applied to demographics and signifying how members of that group should behave and be treated; he doesn’t discuss how identities can be used as unifying elements, as tools for political organisation (as in communities of vulnerability). While I do think this is something of an oversight, I don’t think of it as a failure. After all, this book is one of “fragments.” Of course there are going to be gaps or areas which invite more nuanced analysis than a hundred-page book can offer. Graeber seems to be more interested in asking questions than answering them fully – and not only is that okay, that’s kind of the point. He encourages us to think for ourselves rather than seeking instruction from authority.

I highly recommend this book. You’ll probably get more out of it if you’re at least somewhat familiar with anarchism already, but you don’t need to be well read in leftist literature.