Mimesis and Alterity: A Particular History of the SensesIn Mimesis and Alterity Taussig undertakes and eccentric history of the mimetic faculty. He moves easily from the nineteenth-century invention of mimetically capacious machines, such as the camera, backwards to the fable of colonial first contact' alleged mimetic prowess of primitives, ' and then forward to contemporary time, when the idea of alterity is increasingly unstable. Utilizing anthropological theory, Taussig blends Latin American ethnography and colonial history with the insights of Walter Benjamin, Adorno and Horkheimer. Vigorous and unorthodox, Taussig's understanding of mimesis in different cultures deepens our meaning of ethnography, racism and society. |
What people are saying - Write a review
Review: Mimesis and Alterity: A Particular History of the Senses: A Particular Study of the Senses
User Review - Az - GoodreadsTaussig, poet, Benjamin head, delicious. Read full review
Contents
In Some Way or Another One Can Protect Oneself | 1 |
From Evil Spirits by Portraying Them | 12 |
Physiognomic Aspects of Visual Worlds | 19 |
Spacing Out | 33 |
The Magic of Mimesis | 44 |
The Organization of Mimesis | 59 |
With the Wind of World History in Our Sails | 70 |
Spirit of the Mime Spirit of the Gift | 88 |
Alterity | 129 |
The Color of Alterity | 144 |
The Search For the White Indian | 162 |
The Magic of Western Gear | 176 |
The Talking Machine | 193 |
His Masters Voice | 212 |
Reflection | 236 |
Sympathetic Magic In A PostColonial Age | 250 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
alterity American animals appearance become beginning Benjamin body brings called Canal century chant Chapin chief civilized cloth colonial commodity copy create culture Cuna curing dance Darién Darwin describes dreams early effect ethnography European exist face fact feel figures figurines force Fuegians hand healer human imitation important Indians labor land language later less live look machine magic Marsh matter means medicine mimesis mimetic faculty mimicry miming molas movement moving nature negro Nordenskiold noted notion object original painting Panama Pérez person phonograph picture playing practice present Press primitive reality record refers relation reproduction savage seems sense side similar social sort soul sound space spirit strange talking things thought turn University Western white Indians woman women writes York
References to this book
Bibliographic information
| Title | Mimesis and Alterity: A Particular History of the Senses Mimesis and Alterity: A Particular History of the Senses, Michael T. Taussig |
| Author | Michael T. Taussig |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Psychology Press, 1993 |
| ISBN | 0415906873, 9780415906876 |
| Length | 299 pages |
| Subjects | › › Social Science / Anthropology / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |