Brian Morris is an emeritus professor of anthropology whose work delves into folk taxonomy, ethnobotany, ethnozoology, religion, and symbolism. He has conducted fieldwork among South Asian hunter-gatherers and in Malawi, drawing from a diverse pre-academic career as a foundry worker, seaman, and tea planter. His writings explore the intricate connections between nature and human culture, concepts of the individual, and anarchist philosophy. Morris offers unique insights into how societies categorize the world and understand their place within it.
My Encounters with People and Wildlife in India and Malawi
732 pages
26 hours of reading
Brian Morris's journey from leaving school at fifteen to becoming an Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Goldsmiths College highlights his diverse career in Malawi and extensive contributions to the field. His scholarly work encompasses anthropology, religion, symbolism, and radical politics, reflecting a deep engagement with hunter-gatherer societies and individual concepts. Notable recent publications include "Homage to Peasant Smallholders" and "Anthropology and Dialectical Naturalism," showcasing his ongoing exploration of critical themes in anthropology.
Focusing on the definitions of freedom, the book explores the life and thought of Bakunin, highlighting his significance as a political theorist. It emphasizes his commitment to uniting theory and practice within his anarchist philosophy. The portrayal of Bakunin reveals the monumental nature of his ideas and their enduring relevance in contemporary discussions on freedom and political theory.
Set against the backdrop of 1995, the narrative follows Brian as he faces imminent arrest for smuggling a kilogram of cocaine valued at one and a half million pounds. The story delves into the harrowing consequences of his actions, leading to a twelve-year prison sentence. With a fast-paced and often unsettling tone, it explores themes of crime, punishment, and the impact of choices on one's life trajectory.
The Eight Pillars of Survival Many survival and emergency preparedness experts today use the pyramid approach to survival prioritization, putting food, water, shelter and security in the largest block at the base of the pyramid and then community, sustainability and higher needs in smaller brackets at the top of the pyramid. My survival model takes a different and linear approach to survival using an eight-pillar system. The eight pillars that I use as the basis of my survival methodology are food, water, shelter, security, communication, health, survival navigation and fire-craft. In my system no one pillar takes priority to another initially. It is up to the survivor to assess their situation and then choose the pillar that is needed most to survive in the situation at hand. Much like a rifle pop-up target range where a shooter is expected to hit the closer (more dangerous) 50-meter target first before engaging the 300-meter target, the survivor needs to prioritize the pillars and choose the pillar that is most urgent and necessary to save his life under the circumstances. The foundation for my methodology is KISS which stands for “keep it simple, stupid”, an acronym widely used by the military to remind soldiers that the best solutions are often the simplest. I developed this 8 Pilar approach over decades of serving as a Green Beret in the US Army Special Forces
Focusing on the peasant-smallholders of the Shire Highlands in Southern Malawi, this ethnographic study delves into their social life and cultural practices. It examines the intricate relationship between these communities and their diverse natural landscape, highlighting the complexities of their connection to the land and its biodiversity. With the peasant-smallholders making up about 80 percent of the population, the book provides a detailed representation of their experiences and interactions with their environment.
Exploring the nature of reality, the author critiques contemporary theories in anthropology, advocating for its recognition as a historical social science. He introduces the concept of "dialectical naturalism" or "evolutionary realism," emphasizing its significance in bridging anthropology with philosophical inquiry. This thought-provoking treatise challenges readers to reconsider how cultural constructs shape perceptions of reality, while also reviving an often-overlooked philosophical tradition.
"In this remarkable new book Brian Morris examines the lives, works and philosophy of three key thinkers in the field of modern ecology. Lewis Mumford, René Dubos and Murray Bookchin, Morris argues, all made hugely important contributions to thinking in the field, and have all equally been overlooked or misunderstood by their contemporaries and successors. In examining the concepts of organic or ecological humanism and social ecology as presented by Mumford, Dubos and Bookchin respectively, Professor Morris paves the way for fresh debate about the interaction between human beings and their environment, and, vitally, about what 'ecology, ' 'environmentalism' and 'conservation' actually mean and should seek to achieve in years to come. Essential reading for anyone with an interest or active role in ecology and its associate disciplines, Pioneers of Ecological Humanism is written in a clear and refreshingly direct style that will appeal to activists, academics and armchair ecologists alike."-- Résumé de l'éditeur
This book is a pioneering and comprehensive study of the environmental history of Southern Malawi. With over fifty years of experience, anthropologist and social ecologist Brian Morris draws on a wide range of data – literary, ethnographic and archival – in this interdisciplinary volume. Specifically focussing on the complex and dialectical relationship between the people of Southern Malawi, both Africans and Europeans, and the Shire Highlands landscape, this study spans the nineteenth century until the end of the colonial period. It includes detailed accounts of the early history of the peoples of Northern Zambezia; the development of the plantation economy and history of the tea estates in the Thyolo and Mulanje districts; the Chilembwe rebellion of 1915; and the complex tensions between colonial interests in conserving natural resources and the concerns of the Africans of the Shire Highlands in maintaining their livelihoods. A landmark work, Morris’s study constitutes a major contribution to the environmental history of Southern Africa. It will appeal not only to scholars, but to students in anthropology, economics, history and the environmental sciences, as well as to anyone interested in learning more about the history of Malawi, and ecological issues relating to southern Africa.
Exploring conceptions of the human subject, this book critically examines Western intellectual traditions, particularly the secular trends of the twentieth century. It covers a range of thought, including Marx's historical materialism and Darwin's evolutionary naturalism, alongside existentialism, hermeneutics, phenomenology, and poststructuralism. Each chapter focuses on key thinkers, their biographical contexts, social analyses, and the ontological implications of their work. Aimed at anthropologists and students of the human sciences and philosophy, it addresses the fundamental question of human identity.
