Stranger as My Guest: A Critical Anthropology of Hospitality

The migration crisis has led to a renewed interest in hospitality as a social relationship, where each party has rights and duties. This book argues that local initiatives are insufficient to respond to the scale of migration and that we need a new hospitality policy that treats the stranger as a guest rather than an alien or an enemy.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 22 January 2021
Publisher: Polity Press

The migration crisis of recent years has sparked a multifaceted response, with many states implementing stricter border controls in an effort to restrict population movements. At the same time, many citizens have responded by warmly welcoming new arrivals, providing them with shelter, food, and any assistance they can offer. This revival of hospitality has rekindled an ancient form of anthropology that was once considered obsolete.

In his book, Agier presents an innovative anthropology of hospitality that begins with the recognition of hospitality as a social relationship, albeit an asymmetrical one, where each party holds rights and responsibilities. He argues that, in the absence of state and religious support, hospitality is making a resurgence at the individual and municipal levels, though these local initiatives alone are insufficient to address the global scale of migration. Therefore, we need a new hospitality policy for the modern era that treats hospitality as a right rather than a favor and views the stranger as a guest rather than an alien or an enemy.

This timely and original book will be of immense interest to students and scholars in anthropology, sociology, and the social sciences in general, as well as anyone concerned with migration and refugees in today's world.

Weight: 208g
Dimension: 138 x 216 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509539895