Community in a Crowd
Bitcoin and the Quest for Liberty in Tel Aviv
Will be published approx. on 1. January 2026
Book
Hardback
262 pages
978-1-83695-299-2 (ISBN)
Description
Set in Tel Aviv's Bitcoin Embassy between 2017 and 2019, Community in a Crowd explores the everyday activities and social dynamics of Israeli Bitcoin enthusiasts. It examines how participants promoted Libertarian narratives and ritualized practices to challenge the moral authority of the 'centralized' political-economic order. Revisiting Bitcoin's popular association with radical individualism, the book contrasts the sprawling, impersonal crowds of online trading with the formation of an intimate, egalitarian community through in-person encounters. Advancing a new theoretical framework, it offers insights into contemporary mass movements grounded in techno-utopian visions of society and reconsiders how decentralized technologies foster both anonymity and solidarity.
Reviews / Votes
"This book is a thoroughly researched, detailed and conceptually thought-out example of what we call 'ethnographic theory' - which is really the best kind of anthropology." * Diana Espirito Santo, Universidad Catolica de ChileMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Library binding
Illustrations
Bibliography; Index; 10 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
507 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83695-299-2 (9781836952992)
DOI
10.3167/9781836952992
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Matan Shapiro is a Social Anthropologist currently researching synoptic surveillance and changing notions of alterity online as part of the ERC-funded SAMCOM Project at the department of Digital Humanities, King's College London.
Content
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1. Roots
Chapter 2. The Community
Chapter 3. Individual Banks
Chapter 4. A Space in Between
Chapter 5. Decentralizing the Universe
Chapter 6. Bitcoin Crowds
Chapter 7. Nihilist Spectacles
Conclusion
References
Index
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1. Roots
Chapter 2. The Community
Chapter 3. Individual Banks
Chapter 4. A Space in Between
Chapter 5. Decentralizing the Universe
Chapter 6. Bitcoin Crowds
Chapter 7. Nihilist Spectacles
Conclusion
References
Index