The Living and the Dead

The Living and the Dead examines the boundaries between the worlds of life and death. 

 The text draws upon philosophy, ethnography, literature and natural science to suggest that life and death are best understood not in opposition, but as continuous tendencies acting upon one another. Austin Locke argues that the failure to give nuanced consideration to the connections between the living and nonliving devalues both life and death. In doing so, he suggests that our ability to respond to the challenges of environmental degradation, technological advancement, and the dominance of economic logic depend in part on more fluid understandings of the relationship between life and death.Toby Austin Locke is a research student in the Department of Anthropology at Goldsmiths College where his current project focuses on urban commoning. He has written and edited for various print and digital publications, most recently contributing to th-rough.eu and acting as contributing editor of Cultural Anthropology.