David Graeber: The Uncertainty of Being Human
David Graeber speaks at Maagdenhuis Amsterdam. By Guido van Nispen.
A couple of weeks ago I was wondering: is there anyone outside of family and friends I would really miss if they died? In the sense that I would feel painfully adrift. Like finding a void where a guiding star had been. The first person I thought of was scholar and activist David Graeber. Then a few days ago I found out he had died. For those who know of his work, either you are hearing this now for the first time and need to sit down, or you already know and are wondering whether this mini obituary of sorts is worth it.
Perhaps you do not know of his work. In that case you are in for a treat. You can start with this podcast series covering his book Debt: The First 5000 Years, this article What’s the point if we can’t have fun?, this piece touching on tactics during the Occupy movement, or perhaps you are into incisive scholarship on epistemology and ontology. In any case, keep an eye out next year for the posthumous publication of #TheDawnofEverything co-authored with David Wengrow. A book that will unravel the deep mythological bullshit that 21st century reality is built on through a thorough engagement with the archaeological and historical record. From the real origins of the Enlightenment to the political prowess of Paleolithic societies.
This little piece though is really for those, like me, who have long been inspired by Graeber’s work in all its forms. Since finding out he had died, the over-riding feeling friends and I have talked about is that Graeber’s existence gave us hope. A hope found in helping us navigate through some of the most harmful delusions many people collectively find themselves coerced into. We had sort of been reliant on the idea that with Graeber out there, there was hope that life today would find a way out of systems of coercive authority.
But now David Graeber is dead, and this complacency is shattered. But it was in this broken moment that, slowly at first then almost overwhelmingly, I felt my determination and inspiration for making a kinder world becoming jacked to the full! This is how I know how to commemorate a person who has been a role model to me through my 20s and into my 30s. A fellow human who could make a gentle pivot with an idea and show you the world anew. If ever there is a piece of paper that induced more of a psychedelic experience than an acid tab it’s the pages of Graeber’s books. Stop reading this. Go and read Graeber and feel every bone in your body readjust as you discover the kind of world that can bloom.
If you are still reading though, then let’s make a promise. Let’s promise to learn from Graeber. He was dedicated to the real and tactile truth, to having fun through the creative hard work of making knowledge. At the same time recognising that no single idea ever reveals the truth. Instead, critically crafting together partially incommensurable theories to support the reader in discovering the life in all its rich forms. In doing so, never dogmatically engaging with how we make the kind of world we need along purist lines.
At the heart of his work, I felt, was always held a deep anarchic commitment to freedom, fun, autonomy and caring for each other, whilst pragmatically working with the best that is already here in this world. Because fascism is here. Authoritarianism is here. Plutarchy is here. Capitalism is here. Neoliberalism is here. Imperialism is here. Patriarchy is here. Delusion is everywhere. We need every person, every idea, and every last bit of creativity we can get to address all that and be the unexpected makers of a different kind of world. The uncertainty of the future is a fact of life. Uncertainty is what life shares in common. Let’s be the unexpected, as it’s going to take every last bit of us to make up for Graeber’s unexpected death. Enjoy the struggle!
By Guido van Nispen.
AVI (DR KBH)
I am trained in Social Anthropology and Social Science Research Methods. I work with practitioners and academics from multiple fields. If you want to step into the messy spaghetti of reality and enjoy the feast, I invite you to dine with me.
I focus on how human-environmental and human-human relations shape each other over time. I have conducted interdisciplinary research on fisheries, historical ecology, hunting and environmental management.