Description
An anthropologist decodes our most inane, mundane and profane behaviours.
Is a queef worse than a fart? Are an asshole and a wanker the same thing? What do Brits have against doggy bags? Why don’t more people use headphones on transit?
In The Baggage We Carry, an anthropologist who has lived in five countries on four continents—and learned about cultural gaffes by constantly committing them—places our everyday behaviours under the microscope.
Taking readers on a tour through the big answers to life’s little questions, Bell reveals that the reasons why we do the things we do are much more peculiar and interesting than we think.
Praise
‘The book is a delight—insightful, witty and wickedly funny. Like a brilliant, diligent anthropologist and a raucous, taboo-busting comedian had a baby, who inherited the best of both parents’ — Kate Fox, author of Watching the English
‘The Baggage We Carry explores some of the most intimate and instinctive parts of our daily life with infectious curiosity, lightly worn learning and disarming candour—it’s fascinating, and very funny’ — Emma Beddington, Guardian columnist and author of We’ll Always Have Paris: Trying and Failing to be French
‘Anthropologist Bell (Silent But Deadly) presents a quirky assortment of musings on quotidian actions that reveal surprisingly deeper cultural processes at work… This is an amusing, informative collection of theories for why people do the things they do’ — Publisher’s Weekly
‘The prose is witty and often self-deprecating, with footnotes sharing Bell’s embarrassing experiences with the subjects at hand… That personal touch combines with serious sociology and makes the book a blast’ — Foreword Reviews