Gut Anthro: An Experiment in Thinking with Microbes

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 09 May 2023
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

The trillions of microbes that inhabit and interact with our bodies are shaped by a complex interplay of biology and social connections. Gut Anthro, a captivating ethnography, delves into the fascinating story of how a sociocultural anthropologist partnered with a human microbial ecologist to address global health crises across disciplines. It raises thought-provoking questions about what it means for anthropology to engage with science. The book is based partly at a renowned U.S. lab, the Center for Genome Sciences at Washington University, and partly at a field site in Bangladesh, where researchers studied infant malnutrition. Through its exploration, Gut Anthro sheds light on how microbes traverse the human gut, influencing definitions of health and disease. It also examines how the microbiome can reshape our understanding of evolution, agency, and life.

In her research, Amber Benezra, a sociocultural anthropologist, sought to bridge the scale and speed differences between the lab, the intimate biosocial practices of Bangladeshi mothers and their children, and the looming structural violence of poverty. She explored ways to reconcile these disparities while collaborating with mothers, local field researchers, philanthropic global health organizations, microbiome scientists, and, of course, microbes. Gut Anthro is a testament to the power of collaboration, as it follows microbes through various enactments in scientific research, treating them as kin, data, and even as race. Benezra's work highlights the racial categories used in microbiome research and argues that transdisciplinary collaboration is essential to address racial health disparities without perpetuating race as a fixed construct.

Through her ethnographic lens, Gut Anthro offers a unique perspective on the world of microbes, challenging our assumptions and expanding our understanding of the intricate relationships between humans and the microscopic world that surrounds us. It is a must-read for anyone interested in anthropology, biology, health, and the intersection of social and scientific inquiry.

Weight: 370g
Dimension: 139 x 216 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517901301