The New Science of the Enchanted Universe

“A characteristically feisty final statement from one of the greatest anthropologists of the past century.”—Jonathan Spencer, Science“Sahlins is perhaps one of the last great anthropological time travelers, unashamed of his vocation, and openly committed to immersing himself in ways of being that were not originally his own, or at least trying his hardest to do so. We may not see his like again.”—Vincent P. Pecora, European Legacy“Sahlins makes his case forcefully, eloquently, and with passion. Right, wrong, partial, or not, The New Science of the Enchanted Universe is a feisty anthropological contribution that will be good to teach with within the academy and good to think with way beyond the narrow confines of anthropology.”—David N. Gellner, Society”[The New Science of the Enchanted Universe] is electrified by ideas—of human finitude and eternity, the interlacing of the political, the enchanted, and the divine”—Anna Della Subin, The Nation”[A]n engaging, vivid book that consistently argues for anthropologists to accept the realities of a world of spirits.”—Tok Thompson, Journal of the American Academy of Religion“The late Marshall Sahlins has left us a treatise that seeks no less than to redirect cultural anthropology toward a truer understanding of how ‘most of humanity,’ since the beginning, has thought about its place in the world… . [The New Science of the Enchanted Universe] is replete with the quips and asides that have always made reading or listening to Sahlins a both enjoyable and stimulating experience. We can all be grateful to the friends and family who helped carry the project through.”—John R. Bowen, American Ethnologist

Marshall Sahlins (1930-2021) was the Charles F. Grey Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Chicago and the author of many books, including Stone Age Economics and Culture and Practical Reason.

Frederick B. Henry Jr. is an independent scholar and translator.