‘Why do we acknowledge only our textual sources but not the ground we walk, the ever-changing skies, mountains and rivers, rocks and trees, the houses we inhabit and the tools we use, not to mention the innumerable companions, both non-human animals and fellow humans, with which and with whom we share our lives?' xii

‘British anthropologists like myself currently find themselves working in an academic environment that is profoundly hostile to the task of being alive.’ xiii