Cannibal Metaphysics: For a Post-Structural Anthropology by Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, originally published in 2009 in French as Métaphysiques Cannibales and translated into English in 2014 by Peter Skafish, is a transformative work in anthropology and philosophy that advocates for a radical rethinking of anthropological practice through the lens of Amerindian cosmologies. Viveiros de Castro, a Brazilian anthropologist and professor at the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, is a key figure in anthropology’s “ontological turn,” which emphasizes the study of diverse ontologies—ways of being and knowing—rather than imposing Western epistemological frameworks on non-Western cultures. The book argues that anthropology should be “the practice of the permanent decolonization of thought,” challenging the universalist assumptions of Western philosophy and social science by engaging seriously with the metaphysical schemes of Amazonian and other Amerindian peoples. These societies, Viveiros de Castro contends, inhabit a conceptual universe where distinctions like nature/culture, human/nonhuman, and subject/object are inverted or reconfigured, offering a profound critique of Western thought’s logocentrism and dualisms.

Structured in four parts—“Anti-Narcissus,” “Capitalism and Schizophrenia from an Anthropological Point of View,” “Demonic Alliance,” and “The Cannibal Cogito”—the book develops Viveiros de Castro’s concept of “Amerindian perspectivism,” a cosmological framework where all beings (humans, animals, spirits, plants) are potential subjects with their own perspectives, and humanity is not a fixed essence but a positional, relational capacity. This “multinaturalism” contrasts with Western multiculturalism, positing multiple natures rather than multiple cultures within a single nature. For example, in Amerindian thought, a jaguar sees itself as human and humans as prey, a perspective rooted in relationality rather than fixed ontology. The book’s title, Cannibal Metaphysics, refers to the Amerindian practice of ritual cannibalism, which Viveiros de Castro interprets as a process of incorporating the Other’s perspective to transform the self, a metaphor for anthropology’s need to “consume” and integrate non-Western ontologies to decolonize its own assumptions.

Viveiros de Castro engages extensively with Claude Lévi-Strauss, reinterpreting his structuralism through Amerindian myths to highlight their philosophical depth, and with Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, whose concepts of difference, multiplicity, and becoming resonate with perspectivism’s rejection of static categories. He also dialogues with anthropologists like Philippe Descola, Bruno Latour, and Marilyn Strathern, using their work to refine his critique of Western anthropology’s tendency to objectify indigenous peoples. Key chapters explore themes like “cannibal alterity” (the transformative power of otherness), “transversal shamanism” (the shaman’s role in navigating multiple ontologies), and the “metaphysics of predation” (where relations between beings are inherently agonistic yet productive). The book’s dense, theoretical prose, described as “saturated with difficult language laid beautifully together,” demands familiarity with Lévi-Strauss, Deleuze, and post-structuralism, making it challenging but rewarding for dedicated readers.

Critics praise Cannibal Metaphysics for its bold, provocative vision, with Peter Skafish’s introduction noting its challenge to anthropology’s imagination of what a “point of view” entails (). It has been lauded as a “magisterial work” that approximates the “native’s point of view” (), earning a 4.2/5 rating on Goodreads from over 40 reviews. However, some readers find its engagement with Deleuze and Guattari less compelling, and its dense style can alienate those not versed in anthropological theory (). Available in paperback, eBook, and free online via the University of Minnesota Press, the book is a cornerstone for scholars of anthropology, philosophy, and indigenous studies, offering a radical framework for rethinking ontology, translation, and transformation in a decolonized intellectual landscape