Here we evoke the general lines of development of the author's academic work, which has been dedicated to the elaboration of two theories with regard to American societies: a sociological theory, that establishes ties of affinity as the generic scheme for indigenous social relations; and a cosmological theory that proposes to redistribute the values western metaphysics attribute to the categories of Nature and Culture. We then examine the three basic actional schemes of the key concept of "transformation" within anthropological discourse: an "accusatorial" scheme, an "ergative" scheme and a "reflexive" scheme. The last of these three schemes opens the way for a symmetrical or reverse anthropology that allows us to create an effective generalization of the discipline's project.
Anthropology; Transformation; Colonialism; Ecology; History