Roy Wagner (1938-2018): The Smoking Mirror Of Anthropology

Roy Wagner died in September 2018. This article, written out of affection and admiration, shows the originality of Wagner's thought and highlights its importance for understanding, not only current anthropology, increasingly influenced by his work, but also the anthropological machine and its great invention, culture. The article examines moments of his life and his tastes, and recounts anecdotes told by him to provide a better understanding of the disciplinary and theoretical links that Wagner established with authors like Claude Levi-Strauss, Victor Turner, Gregory Bateson and Carlos Castaneda. The article concludes with an extensive bibliography for those who want to explore further the work of an author who is set to become a defining figure in the anthropology of the near future.