Introduction: Monsters, Anthropology, and Monster Studies

Every field-site has monstersspooky, menacing, terrifying beingswho lurk in the shadows and the dark, under beds, in caves and lakes, beyond the line of sight, and in the imagination. Some cause mischief, others pro-tect, a great number of them instill fear, many terrorize, and a few may even kill; all provide substance for conversation and, importantly, for action. Monsters are bloodcurdlingly potent of meaning and anthropol-ogy has engaged with them since its inception.1 Yet, and curiously, anthro-pology has not substantially joined in with the burgeoning interdisciplinary field of monster studies. This is a relatively young field; Cohens (1996) Monster Culture (Seven Theses), while by no means the first endeavor, con-stitutes something of a foundation to the concerted interdisciplinary effort of studying monsters. Over the last decade or so, monster studies has mushroomed as a cornucopia of recent articles, edited volumes, journals, and books about monsters attests (including two new compendia, see Mittman and Dendle 2012; Picart and Browning 2012b; and an encyclope-dia, see Weinstock 2014).