The Financial World as an Anthropological Object

Abstract

This article presents existing approaches in Anthropology that have paved the way for the research of a contemporary significant object of study: the field of financial markets. The paper explores some of the most salient socio-cultural research leading to the conception of Social Studies of Finance, and presents some key contributions of these anthropological and sociological studies that challenge and present an alternative to the neoclassical approach. With their attention to detail, diversity and local specificities, this paper argues that anthropological knowledge can provide a unique understanding of the complex contemporary financial world, by which drawing attention to the diversity of forms taken by institutions, actors and practices that constitute the financial markets, particularly analyzing the specificity of local conditions in which these are developed.