The Dawn of Everything

The Dawn of Everything is a new history of humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow. The book argues that familiar stories about early people, pictured as simple and childlike, and either peaceful or brutal, are mistaken. The authors say these ideas first appeared in the eighteenth century, as a reaction to indigenous criticism of European society. Using findings from archaeology and anthropology, they look again at how farming, property, cities, democracy and slavery began. They argue that the human past was more open and more inventive than most people assume.

Why You Should Read?

• Discover why the authors think popular ideas about primitive ancestors answered indigenous criticism of European society.
• Explore the book's question of what people were doing if small hunter-gatherer bands did not fill most of our past.
• Learn what kinds of social and economic organization the authors say farming and cities could have led to.
• Imagine new forms of freedom and new ways to organize society, guided by the book's fresh view of history.

About the Author

David Graeber taught anthropology as a professor at the London School of Economics. His books include Debt: The First 5,000 Years and Bullshit Jobs: A Theory, and he wrote for Harper's Magazine, The Guardian, and The Baffler. Known as a thinker and activist, he played an early part in building Occupy Wall Street into a movement that marked its era. He died on 2 September 2020.