The forms of the visible

Philippe Descola’s comparative anthropology focused on the relations between humans and non-humans revolutionized the landscape of human sciences, and had great impact on ecological thinking. Par-delà nature et culture (Gallimard, 2005) was a landmark in his work, as well as highly influential for anyone concerned with the connections that link nature and culture. Published in 2021, Les formes du visible (‘The forms of the visible’) sets the ground for a figurative anthropology and reflects on the ability of each culture to conceive images and figurative devices. Revisiting his first book, Descola resumes the theory of four basic ontologies that govern the variation in collective life. Each one – animism, naturalism, totemism, and analogism – draws its own line between human and non-human. Les formes du visible earned Descola the Martine Aublet Foundation award in 2021.