Jarrett Zigon's "How Is It Between Us?" offers a novel approach to relational ethics, moving beyond traditional theories to address contemporary challenges. The book emphasizes the 'between'—the interactions not just between people, but all existents—as the foundation of ethical consideration. Zigon integrates anthropology and phenomenological hermeneutics to create a dynamic framework for understanding ethical dilemmas in a rapidly changing world. The work explores pressing issues such as post-truth, algorithmic influence, competing calls for justice, and the climate crisis. Ultimately, the book advocates for a more fluid and responsive ethical approach, acknowledging the interconnectedness of all existence.
How Is It Between Us?: Relational Ethics and Care for the World (HAU Books, 2023) offers a new theory of relational ethics that tackles contemporary issues. In How Is It Between Us?, Jarrett Zigon puts anthropology and phenomenological hermeneutics in conversation to develop a new theory of relational ethics. This relational ethics takes place in the between, the interaction not just between people, but all existents. Importantly, this theory is utilized as a framework for considering some of today’s most pressing ethical concerns - for example, living in a condition of post-truth and worlds increasingly driven by algorithms and data extraction, various and competing calls for justice, and the ethical demands of the climate crisis. Written by one of the preeminent contributors to the anthropology of ethics, this is a ground-breaking book within that literature, developing a robust and systematic ethical theory to think through contemporary ethical problems.
Jarrett Zigon is a social theorist, philosopher and anthropologist at the University of Virginia, where he is the William & Linda Porterfield Chair in Bioethics and Professor of Anthropology. From 2018 to 2020, he was the founding director of the Center for Data Ethics and Justice at the University of Virginia.
Yadong Li is a PhD student in anthropology at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of economic anthropology, medical anthropology, hope studies, and the anthropology of borders and frontiers. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here.
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New Books in Sociology