Waste is what is left over, the irrelevant, the unintended side effect, the superfluous, the unwanted. It is nice to think that when we just throw it away, it disappears. But there is more and more of it.
In Norway, we throw away twice as much as we did 25 years ago - and China and India import tons of rubbish from rich countries. The further us rich people can remove ourselves from the stench, the more importunate it becomes for the poor. The rubbish is a mirror that tells humankind who we are.
- What gives things their value, and how can rubbish be transformed into treasures?
- Why is the littering of brains a growing environmental problem?
- How can people become rubbish, and how hard is it to keep the waste at an arm’s length in a world that is filling up?
Thomas Hylland Eriksen
Thomas Hylland Eriksen is Professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo and the author of numerous books on anthropological and cultural issues, including Small Places, Large Issues and Tyranny of the Moment, which have both enjoyed tremendous success in Norway and abroad.
From 1993 to 2001 he was affiliated with the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture at the University of Oslo. His research spans ethnic relations, nation building and cultural dynamism in multicultural societies and he has written several books on such subjects. He has carried out field work in Mauritius and Trinidad.
Other titles
(Selected)
Storeulvsyndromet, 2008.
Hva er sosialantropologi, 2003.
Øyeblikkets tyranni, 2001.
Flerkulturell forståelse, 2001 (Ed.).
Egoisme, 1999 (with Dag O. Hessen).
Små steder - store spørsmål, 1998.
Et langt kaldt land, nesten uten mennesker, 1998.
Kampen om fortiden, 1996.
Kulturelle veikryss, 1994.
Us and Them in Modern Societies, (in English) 1992.
