The Political Lives of Dead Bodies

by Katherine Verdery

Release Date: 15 May, 1999

Edition: Hardcover

Price:

More Info

A Lively, Readable Book

I'm surprised to read the two reviews above, obviously written by readers who missed the point. The book is full of lively, concrete detail written in extremely readable prose. (Anyone who finds this kind of writing difficult to read obviously hasn't read much in the social sciences lately. Go read something by Homi Babha or Judith Butler, sweethearts, and come back and tell me Verdery uses too much jargon!)

I found the particular cases--particularly the one on Inochentie Micu--a remarkable window into understanding why the postcommunist transition hasn't worked out according to the blueprints of neoliberal planners. It says a remarkable amount about the hopes, fears, and passions of people in the region, none of which are taken into account by those who seek to apply bloodless ideal-typical models to a region with an often bloody history.

very poor

it is a real pitty that the amazon editors didn't choose to publish the whole of Bickerton's review -- there we would, for example, see that Bickerton actually hopes "for a sequel" in order to have the book actually says something one could appreciate. this title certainly doesn't do justice to Verdery's otherwise excellent academic record. it is written in haste, with a complete lack of attention and needed careful reading of details. at the end we get an impression that she is making fun of other people's misery. it was obviously a too difficult task for her aims: the analysis is highly superficial, as if she aspired more to amuse than really teach. but dead bodies is something I find difficult to laugh about, no matter how pathetic the circumstances of their manipulations are.