The Ethnographer's Magic and Other Essays in the History of AnthropologyGeorge Stocking has been widely recognized as the premier historian of anthropology ever since the publication of his first volume of essays, Race, Culture, and Evolution, in 1968. As editor of several publications, including the highly acclaimed History of Anthropology series, he has led the movement to establish the history of anthropology as a recognized research specialization. In addition to the study Victorian Anthropology, his work includes numerous essays covering a wide range of anthropological topics. The eight essays collected in The Ethnographer's Magic consider the emergence of anthropology since the late nineteenth century as an academic discipline grounded in systematic fieldwork. Drawing extensively on unpublished manuscript materials, the essays focus primarily on Franz Boas and Bronislaw Malinowski, the leading figures in the American and the British academic fieldwork traditions. According to George Marcus of Rice University, the essays "represent the most informative and insightful writings on Malinowski and Boas and their legacies that are yet available." Beyond their biographical material, the essays here touch upon major themes in the history of anthropology: its powerfully mythic aspect and persistent strain of romantic primitivism; the contradictions of its relationship to the larger sociopolitical sphere; its problematic integration of a variety of natural scientific and humanistic inquiries; and the tension between its scientific aspirations and its subjectively acquired data. To provide an overview against which to read the other essays, Stocking has also included a sketch of the history of anthropology from the ancient Greeks to the present. For this collection, Stocking has written prefatory commentaries for each of the essays, as well as two more extended contextualizing pieces. An introductory essay ("Retrospective Prescriptive Reflections") places the volume in autobiographical and historiographical context; the Afterword ("Postscriptive Prospective Reflections") reconsiders major themes of the essays in relation to the recent past and present situation of academic anthropology. |
Contents
Retrospective Prescriptive Reflections | 3 |
Postscriptive Prospective Reflections | 362 |
Manuscript Sources | 419 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
academic activities already American anthro anthropology approach argued Association attempt became become Benedict Boas Boasian British called carried Chicago civilization clearly collected colonial concern context continued contrast course critical cultural Despite discipline early economic essay established ethnographic ethnology European evidence evolutionary experience fact felt field fieldwork hand human idea important Indian individual influence institutional intellectual interest interpretation involved island issues knowledge languages largely later linguistic London Maclay major Malinowski material matter Mead means method methodological Museum native natural never Notes observation offered organization orientation perhaps period physical political position practical present problem professional published question reference reflected regard relation Rivers Rockefeller role School scientific seems sense social society structure suggested thought tion tradition United University values whole York
References to this book
Engaging Anthropology: The Case for a Public Presence Thomas Hylland Eriksen No preview available - 2006 |