Against the Grain

The Dawn of Everything Part 1

Egalitarianism is a thing of our distant past, or so we learn from conventional history. After a long stretch as hunter-gatherers roaming in small bands, our societies became bigger and more complex. And as they became larger, and cities emerged, hierarchy was inevitable in the form of kings, priests, and bureaucrats. The late anthropologist and anarchist David Graeber and the archeologist David Wengrow, however, argue that’s all wrong. In a more hopeful reading of the past, they contend that small-scale societies have often been hierarchical and large-scale societies more egalitarian.

Resources:

“The Dawn of Everything Part 2: An Interview with David Graeber”

David Graeber and David Wengrow, The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021

Playlist

Artist Song Album Label
Dhamaal SoundsystemR/evolutionDhamaal SoundsystemDhamaal SF - Surya Vault Records
Arctic MonkeysFire And The ThudHumbugMERLIN - Domino Recording Co
Dhamaal SoundsystemR/evolutionDhamaal SoundsystemDhamaal SF - Surya Vault Records
Thomas Puggård-Müller,Ole Skipper Mosgård,Thorkild MøllerJay McShannCherry RedAfter HoursORCHARD - Storyville Records
Miles DavisAll BluesJazz Master Hits, Vol. 7Sounds Of The World