A trailblazing account of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution - from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of the state, political violence, and social inequality - and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation.For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike - either free and equal innocents, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we are told, could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or, alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the 18th century as a conservative reaction to powerful critiques of European society posed by Indigenous observers and intellectuals. Revisiting this encounter has startling implications for how we make sense of human history today, including the origins of farming, property, cities, democracy, slavery, and civilization itself.Drawing on pathbreaking research in archaeology and anthropology, the authors show how history becomes a far more interesting place once we learn to throw off our conceptual shackles and perceive whats really there. If humans did not spend 95 percent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers, what were they doing all that time? If agriculture and cities did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination, then what kinds of social and economic organization did they lead to? What was really happening during the periods that we usually describe as the emergence of the state? The answers are often unexpected, and suggest that the course of human history may be less set in stone, and more full of playful, hopeful possibilities, than we tend to assume.The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organizing society. This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range, animated by curiosity, moral vision, and a faith in the power of direct action.A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
"The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity" by David Graeber challenges traditional narratives of human history and offers a radical new perspective on the origins of social inequality. Drawing on extensive archaeological, anthropological, and historical research, Graeber argues that the idea of a single, linear progression from primitive communism to capitalism is a myth.
Instead, he proposes that human societies have always been characterized by a wide range of political and economic forms, and that the emergence of inequality is not an inevitable result of human nature.
Graeber's book is a sweeping and ambitious work that offers a fresh and provocative perspective on the human past. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of humanity, and will surely spark debate among scholars and general readers alike.
Key Themes:
- The myth of a single, linear progression from primitive communism to capitalism
- The diversity of political and economic forms in human history
- The role of violence and coercion in the emergence of inequality
- The importance of cooperation and solidarity in human societies
Reviews:
- "A brilliant and provocative book that challenges everything we thought we knew about human history." —Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens
- "Graeber's book is a masterpiece. It is a work of immense scholarship, but it is also written with great clarity and passion. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the human past." —Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel
- "The Dawn of Everything is a game-changer. It will force us to rethink everything we thought we knew about human history." —Rebecca Solnit, author of Men Explain Things to Me
About the Author:
David Graeber was an anthropologist, author, and activist. He was a professor at the London School of Economics and the University of Chicago. Graeber was known for his work on social movements, debt, and economic inequality. He died in 2020 at the age of 59.
