The Nervous System

Based on anthropological fieldwork in Australia and Colombia these fascinating essays use the workings of the human nervous system to illustrate concepts of culture. The central theme is conveyed by the title's double meaning - on the one hand, portraying the human nervous system as a controlling force, on the other, as a system that is not at all systematic, but nervous, and therefore on the brink of collapse. This book should be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates and academics in anthropology, critical theory and cultural studies.