Beyond <i>Writing Culture</i>: Current Intersections of Epistemologies and Representational Practices

Published by Berghahn Books 2010

Beyond Writing Culture

Current Intersections of Epistemologies and Representational Practices

Edited by: Olaf Zenker and Karsten Kumoll

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781845458171

Overview
Contents

About this book

Two decades after the publication of Clifford and Marcus’ volume Writing Culture, this collection provides a fresh and diverse reassessment of the debates that this pioneering volume unleashed. At the same time, Beyond Writing Culture moves the debate on by embracing the more fundamental challenge as to how to conceptualise the intricate relationship between epistemology and representational practices rather than maintaining the original narrow focus on textual analysis. It thus offers a thought-provoking tapestry of new ideas relevant for scholars not only concerned with ‘the ethnographic Other’, but with representation in general.

Author / Editor information

Olaf Zenker is Junior Professor at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Freie Universität Berlin. He received his PhD from the Martin Luther University and the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle/Saale, Germany, and obtained his habilitation from the University of Bern, Switzerland. His publications include the co-edited volume Irish/ness Is All Around Us: Language Revivalism and the Culture of Ethnic Identity in Northern Ireland (Berghahn Books, 2013).

Karsten Kumoll is Programme Manager at the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat), advising the Federal and State (Länder) governments on the system of higher education and research. He obtained his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Freiburg. Its subject was Marshall Sahlins’ complete works and it was subsequently published as: Kultur, Geschichte und die Indigenisierung der Moderne: Eine Analyse des Gesamtwerks von Marshall Sahlins (Bielefeld, 2007).

Olaf Zenker is Junior Professor at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Freie Universität Berlin. He received his PhD from the Martin Luther University and the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle/Saale, Germany, and obtained his habilitation from the University of Bern, Switzerland. His publications include the co-edited volume Irish/ness Is All Around Us: Language Revivalism and the Culture of Ethnic Identity in Northern Ireland (Berghahn Books, 2013).

Reviews

“…an excellent recent example [of less ideologically driven analyses of Writing Culture]… this volume is the only one … that presents a serious, sustained analysis of the intersections between epistemology and representational practice…More so than the edited volumes on this topic that preceded it, Beyond Writing Culture attempts to strike a balance between acknowledging the contribution of Writing Culture and trying to learn from its mistakes.” · Collaborative Anthropologies

“This volume represents the collection of a number of arguments presently raging in the halls of academia regarding the future of ethnography. By returning to Writing Culture over two decades after its first appearance, Zenker and Kumoll attest to the persistence of the landmark book’s ideas. While not an introduction to Writing Culture, this book is highly recommended to scholars interested in the current state of anthropology and the future potential of ethnographic work to move ‘beyond’ Writing Culture without abandoning its important contribution altogether.” · Anthropology and Education Quarterly

“This is a book that will attract a great deal of attention among anthropologists and social scientists in general. It is a great advance on earlier critiques of Writing Culture (1986) that have emerged at intervals, a large number of them cited by the contributors. Its strength lies particularly in its transdisciplinary perspectives and the clarity of both critique and new representations. The prologue is a tour de force.” · Joan Vincent, Professor Emerita, Barnard College/Columbia University

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
1. Prologue: Opening Doors Beyond Writing Culture Olaf Zenker and Karsten Kumoll Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Textualization, Mystification and the Power of the Frame Vincent Crapanzano Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	39
3. Reading James Clifford: On Ethnographic Allegory Steffen Strohmenger Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
4. Indigenous Research and the Politics of Representation: Notes on the Cultural Theory of Marshall Sahlins Karsten Kumoll Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
5. From the Spirit’s Point of View: Ethnography, Total Truth and Speakership Thomas G. Kirsch Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
6. Interlogue: ‘Writing Cultures’ and the Quest for Knowledge Rozita Dimova Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
7. Language Matters: Reflexive Notes on Representing the Irish Language Revival in Catholic West Belfast Olaf Zenker Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	121
8. Ethnographic Cognition and Writing Culture Christophe Heintz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	139
9. Hard Truths: Addressing a Crisis in Ethnography Stephen P. Reyna Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	163
10. The Migration of the ‘Culture’ Concept from Anthropology to Sociology at the Fin de siècle John H. Zammito Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187
11. Epilogue: How Do Paradigm Shifts Work in Anthropology? On the Relationship of Theory and Experience Günther Schlee Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211
Notes on Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	229
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	233

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 256
Keywords: Theory and Methodology

eBook

Published: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 9781845458171