Essay: Hope and Speculative Anthropology in Anthropology Books

This essay provides a comparative analysis of three anthropological texts: Hirokazu Miyazaki's "The Method of Hope," Graham M. Jones' "Magic's Reason," and Valerie Olson's "Into the Extreme." The essay explores how each text addresses the themes of hope and speculative anthropology. Miyazaki's work focuses on the Fijian indigenous people and their struggle for identity, highlighting the role of hope in preserving cultural distinctness. Jones examines magic and its role in different societies, drawing parallels between the past and present. Olson's book discusses the United States' use of space technology and its implications for global power and future warfare, emphasizing the hope for technological advancements. The essay concludes by comparing the authors' perspectives on hope and speculative anthropology, drawing connections between historical events, present-day challenges, and future possibilities. The essay also provides a detailed overview of the books and their relevance to the field of anthropology.

Running head: ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTHROPOLOGY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
In this particular essay the focus of discussion shall be on the comparison of three
scholarly materials pertaining to the discipline of anthropology shall be discussed and compared
with particular reference to the issue of hope discussed in it and with particular reference to the
issue of speculative anthropology that the scholarly materials hint at. The following sections
shall be consisting of sections individually dealing with the issues touched upon by the scholars
of each of the books and the final section shall be dealing with the comparison of the issues
pertaining to hope and speculative anthropology in the chosen books.
The Method of Hope: Anthropology, Philosophy and Fijian Knowledge, by
Hirokazu Miyazaki
This particular book deals with the aspect of the Fijian indigenous people, their history
and their tragedies. Miyazaki had suggested that the saying that hope springs eternal in the
human breast is best exemplified by devoting an insight into the lives of the people of Suvavou.
The original residents of the place were driven out and the capital Suva was established at the
cost of it in the year 1882 (Watt).
The Suvavou people had been proactive in establishing the truth and the ways they had
employed in finding it had been quite effective. The hope of finding the truth has thus played a
great role in ensuring that the homogenization of the Fijian identity without differentiating
between the indigenous identity and the identity of the immigrants is not turned in to the absolute
truth. The hope for achieving a claim to a distinctness of the identity has borne fruitful results for
the Fijian indigenous people (Steel). They have been able to deconstruct the idea that the Fijian

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national identity is an organic whole. The struggle of the Suvavou people is thus reflective of the
fact as shown by Miyazaki that identity of a human being or a collectivity is central to their
existence and that any effort to deprive one of it shall cause untoward circumstances to occur
which shall challenge the status quo of a particular government and question its legitimacy until
and unless the demand to satisfy the need to assert the identity is fulfilled (Miyazaki).
Magic’s Reason: An Anthropology of Analogy by Graham M Jones
The author of this particular book has studied extensively about the practice of magic and
other forms of practices which are in the contemporary world of today considered as blind faith
and superstitions. Jones (2017) had traced the development of magic as a form of entertainment
and also it assuming a means of consolidating power and position of predominance in all
societies whether western or non western. The book provides an account of the observations
conducted by the colonial ethnographers on the engagement between the magicians of France
and the ritual performers of North Africa (Stein and Stein).
With regard to the cross cultural comparison, Jones has tried to show the difference
between the orient and the occident. While the occident has taken recourse to science and
rationality, the orient still has a firm faith in magic and its role in solving the human problems.
This difference is evident when one compares the occident to the orient and the basis of it lies in
the level of development each of the societies have achieved which is evidently disparate. The
occident has managed to abandon magic as the source of answer, while the orient has not
completely hence the former is more developed (Turner).

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Into the Extreme: US Environmental Systems and Politics beyond Earth by Valerie
Olson
This particular book deals with the issue of the contribution of the outer space in the
enhancement of the earthly conditions especially with regard to the natural environment (Grosz).
The book is oriented towards the discussion of the fact that the United States of America uses the
control of the outer space in having a great degree of hegemony in the world with regard to the
scientific and technological innovations and also having political control over the world
(Johnson-Freese). The more the improvements the United States of America achieves in the field
of technological innovations in the space technology the bargaining power of the nation of the
nation shall be increasing (Gorman). The hope of having a futuristic vision in strengthening the
political control in the world is something which is envisaged by the United States of America as
the warfare is not the only way in which domination on the world affairs is possible hence
logistical support building and gathering more technological expertise is being envisage by the
nation (Olson).
Comparison of the issue of hope and speculative anthropology
Muyazaki has used the imagery of hope to relate the trajectory of historical events from
the past to the present and the significance hope holds for the future. The Fijian example that
Miyazaki has provided is of utmost importance to the modern day in the sense that the methods
of articulating the interests by the Suvavou people can be applied by other indigenous people
who feel that they have been wronged and displaced by the immigrants. The Fijian model can be
applied by the Canadian indigenous people for example (Fraenkel).

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Jones has made a skilful attempt to relate the elements of progress to its presence in the
past and has like tried Miyazaki tried to relate the present to the past. Jones has tried to show that
the present generation must more often look to the past, especially the mistakes committed in
order to look for solutions to the problems of the present generation (Wade).
Olson had tried to show that the cold war legacy has been resurrected by means of
revamping upon the methods of indulging is the development of the space technology and
bringing about scientific innovations. That shall revolutionize the idea of warfare in the future
generations and also bring about a change in the conception of war (Geppert).

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References
Fraenkel, Jon. "Ethnic Politics and Strongman Loyalties in Fiji’s 2018 Election." The Journal of
Pacific History (2019): 1-27.
Geppert, Alexander CT, ed. Imagining outer space: European astroculture in the twentieth
century. Springer, 2018.
Gorman, Alice, and B. E. T. H. O’LEARY. "An ideological vacuum: The Cold War in outer
space." A Fearsome Heritage. Routledge, 2016. 73-92.
Grosz, Elizabeth. Space, time and perversion: Essays on the politics of bodies. Routledge, 2018.
Johnson-Freese, Joan. Space warfare in the 21st century: Arming the heavens. Routledge, 2016.
Jones, Graham M. Magic's reason: An anthropology of analogy. University of Chicago Press,
2017.
Miyazaki, Hirokazu. The method of hope: anthropology, philosophy, and Fijian knowledge.
Stanford University Press, 2006.
Olson, Valerie. Into the extreme: US environmental systems and politics beyond earth. U of
Minnesota Press, 2018.
Steel, Frances. "Sitima days in Suva: Wharf labourers and the colonial port." Oceania under
steam. Manchester University Press, 2017.
Stein, Rebecca L., and Philip Stein. The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft--
Pearson eText. Routledge, 2015.

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Turner, Victor Witter. The Lozi Peoples of North-Western Rhodesia: West Central Africa.
Routledge, 2017.
Wade, Jenny. "Going berserk: Battle trance and ecstatic holy warriors in the European war magic
tradition." International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 35.1 (2016): 5.
Watt, Lucas. "Urban Vakavanua: reconciling tradition and urban development." (2019).