'Gledhill manages to cover a lot of ground in drawing out the thematic
and theoretical focuses of political anthropology, brilliantly giving
them life through a wide variety of empirical examples. ... The book
will serve as a very good introduction to political anthropology for any
student of power and politics.' Journal of Peace Research
In this fully updated edition of Power and Its Disguises, John Gledhill
explores both the complexities of local situations and the power
relations that shape the global order. He shows how historically
informed anthropological perspectives can contribute to debates about
democratisation by incorporating a 'view from below' and revealing
forces that shape power relations behind the formal facade of state
institutions. Examples are drawn from Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Peru, Sierra
Leone, South Africa and Sri Lanka, amongst others.