Gillian Tett on Social Anthropology and Finance

… I realize that the financial world’s lack of interest in wider social matters cuts to the very heart of what has gone wrong. What social anthropology teaches is that nothing in society ever exists in a vacuum or in isolation. Holistic analysis that tries to link different parts of a social structure is crucial, be that in respect to wedding rituals or trading floors. Anthropology also instills a sense of scepticism about official rhetoric. in most societies, elites try to maintain their power not simply by garnering wealth, but by dominating the mainstream ideologies, both in terms of what is said, and also what is not discussed. Social ’silences’ serve to maintain power structures in ways that participants often barely understand, let alone plan. Gillian Tett, on Page 298, Fools Gold