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Peter Van Der Veer leads a masterclass on his new book, The Value of Comparison. In this book, he argues that many attempts at comparison are based on a misplaced quest for generality. This quest may be based on universals like the Mind or the brain; on the mathematical manipulation of big sets of “data”, but they tend to rely on the uncritical extension of Western cultural categories. Instead he argues that comparison can be done (and is important to do) on the basis of the intensive study of fragments of social life, like caste, race, or gift exchange, whose meaning is determined by their relationship to other fragments of social life at particular times and places.

Co-sponsored by Religious Studies and Anthropology