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The Domestication of the Savage Mind Jack Goody (University of Cambridge)

The Domestication of the Savage Mind By Jack Goody (University of Cambridge)

The Domestication of the Savage Mind by Jack Goody (University of Cambridge)


Summary

Professor Goody argues that the 'we-they' approach to the differences in the 'mind' of human societies prevents any serious discussion of human behaviour especially in 'traditional' societies. He attempts to provide the framework for a more satisfactory explanation by relating certain broad differences in 'mentalities' to the changes of communication and in the development of writing.

The Domestication of the Savage Mind Summary

The Domestication of the Savage Mind by Jack Goody (University of Cambridge)

Current theories and views on the differences in the 'mind' of human societies depend very much on a dichotomy between 'advanced' and 'primitive', or between 'open' and 'closed', or between 'domesticated' and 'savage', that is to say, between one of a whole variety of 'we-they' distinctions. Professor Goody argues that such an approach prevents any serious discussion of the mechanisms leading to long-term changes in the cognitive processes of human cultures or any adequate explanation of the changes in 'traditional' societies that are taking place in the world around us. In this book he attempts to provide the framework for a more satisfactory explanation by relating certain broad differences in 'mentalities' to the changes in the means of communication, and specifically to the series of shifts involved in the development of writing. The argument is based upon theoretical considerations, as well as empirical evidence derived from recent fieldwork in West Africa and the study of a wide range of source material on the ancient societies of the Near East.

Table of Contents

List of tables and figures; Preface; 1. Evolution and communication; 2. Intellectuals in pre-literate societies?; 3. Literacy, criticism and the growth of knowledge; 4. Literacy and classification: on turning the tables; 5. What's in a list?; 6. Following a formula; 7. The recipe, the prescription and the experiment; 8. The Grand Dichotomy reconsidered; Notes to the text; References; List of abbreviations; Index.

Additional information

CIN0521292425G
9780521292429
0521292425
The Domestication of the Savage Mind by Jack Goody (University of Cambridge)
Used - Good
Paperback
Cambridge University Press
19771124
192
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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