Non-places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity: An Introduction to Supermodernity

The book opens with a brief discussion of the present state of anthropology, and attitudes within the subject regarding studying Western society: the growing necessity of it versus anthropology's background in studying the very distant Other. How to define research, then, so that a study of 'supermodernity' may be possible? Augé touches upon the meanings of time and history - its acceleration, and the endings of the 'grand narratives' and thus modernity.He then discusses anthropological place, with much reference to the signposting on French autoroutes of villages' historical features! Around page 80 he gets on to de Certeau's relationship between space and place, contrasting it with his own - and finally to the titular matter of the book: 'non-places' like motorways, supermarkets and airports which make up the landscape of supermodernity.By 3 stars I really mean 3.5 - this book is worth reading, I believe, but is not uniformly interesting. The last 40 pages may be fascinating, clear to read and and insightful, but the early part of the book isn't so immediately appealing. It may also be worth noting that the book's short [about 110 pages] and consists largely of Augé's ideas with a minimum of citations; the bibliography is sketchy in the extreme!

Interesting book, could have done with being more concise and including more depth to the exposition and analysis for the anthropological readers.

Art theory

very insightful for anyone interested in the phenomenology of place

This was a course book recommended for me to read and is a bit obscure. I need to read it again, maybe even a few times. As with all French philosophers, it is not easy to get into. So it is probably not a mediocre 3 star rating at all, that's just where I am with it at the moment, so I will keep you all updated if I read it again

interesting book great read

read it a few times good read

This is a terrible essay. First of all, it is badly translated. Then, the content is rather poor. M. Auge accumulates quotes and never discusses authors' thoughts. At the rate of 3 reference per page, he has no space to develop them, and summarizes so primitively the authors' work that the reader can learn nothing from it. After 50 pages it seems like a catalogue of name dropping instead of a real essay with a subject of its own.This book has no interest. It is superficial and refers to thinkers from the 70's, without even updating the research in the field. I don't understand how it can be a 'Second Edition'. Reading a dictionary about sociology would certainly be more useful and give exactly the same patchwork effect.What a loss of time! Non-places? Non-book too.