Friendship

Anthropologist Michael Jackson explores the meanings and affordances of friendship in this book, drawing on philosophy, biography, ethnography, and literature. He examines the tension between the political and personal resonances of friendship in the philosophy of Hannah Arendt, the biography of the Indian historian Brijen Gupta, and the oral narratives of a Kuranko storyteller, Keti Ferenke Koroma. He offers reflections on childhood friends, imaginary friends, lifelong friendships, and friendships with animals, and explores the complications of friendship in the context of anthropological fieldwork. Jackson shows how the elective affinities of friendship transcend culture, gender, and age, and offer us perennial means of taking stock of our lives and getting a measure of our own self-worth.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 03 July 2023
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

In his groundbreaking book, renowned anthropologist Michael Jackson delves into the intricate realm of friendship, exploring its profound meanings and diverse aspects. Drawing upon philosophy, biography, ethnography, and literature, Jackson offers a comprehensive examination of this cherished relationship, distinct from kinship and love.

Beginning with Aristotle's notion of friendship as a political virtue and Montaigne's renowned essay on friendship as a form of love, Jackson examines the complex interplay between political and personal resonances in the philosophy of Hannah Arendt, the biography of the Indian historian Brijen Gupta, and the oral narratives of a Kuranko storyteller, Keti Ferenke Koroma.

Throughout his exploration, Jackson offers insightful reflections on various facets of friendship, including childhood friends, imaginary companions, lifelong connections, and friendships with animals. He delves particularly into the challenges and complexities of friendship in the context of anthropological fieldwork, highlighting the contradiction between the egalitarian spirit of friendship and the power dynamics between ethnographers and their interlocutors.

Through a captivating blend of memoir, theory, ethnography, and fiction, Jackson showcases the unpredictable interplay of mutability and mutuality in intimate human relationships. He emphasizes the critical role of choice in forming friendships, exploring what it means to be loyal to friends through both good times and bad, and even in the face of danger.

In this profound work, Jackson demonstrates how friendship transcends cultural, gender, and age boundaries, offering us perennial means of taking stock of our lives and gaining a deeper understanding of our own self-worth. Through his meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Jackson invites readers to contemplate the profound significance of friendship in our lives and its potential to enrich our human experience.

Weight: 358g
Dimension: 151 x 229 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781512824124