In this episode we look at the startling distinctions in the lives of far northern Inuit communities, as explored by the famous French ethnologist and anthropologist Marcel Mauss in his book Seasonal Variations of the Eskimo. Using the concept of antinomies, we explore the sharp contrasts of architecture, authority, ownership, ritual life, and even sexuality that characterises Inuit life in the Summer and Winter seasons. The lecture explores the claims for what Mauss called “social technology in making a society viable, and ask what we can learn from this experience looking forward.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rolfstromolsen.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rolfstromolsen.substack.com