Up Close and Personal: On Peripheral Perspectives and the Production of Anthropological Knowledge (Methodology & History in Anthropology Book 25)

Combining rich personal accounts from twelve veteran anthropologists with reflexive analyses of the state of anthropology today, this book is a treatise on theory and method offering fresh insights into the production of anthropological knowledge, from the creation of key concepts to major paradigm shifts. Particular focus is given to how ‘peripheral perspectives’ can help re-shape the discipline and the ways that anthropologists think about contemporary culture and society. From urban Maori communities in Aotearoa/New Zealand to the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, from Arnhem Land in Australia to the villages of Yorkshire, these accounts take us to the heart of the anthropological endeavour, decentring mainstream perspectives, and revealing the intimate relationships and processes that create anthropological knowledge. CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Preface ANTHROPOLOGISTS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Introduction OBSERVING ANTHROPOLOGISTS Professional Knowledge, Practice and Lives Michael Jackson Chapter 1 SUFFERING, SELFHOOD AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL ENCOUNTERS Anne Salmond Chapter 2 ANTHROPOLOGY, ONTOLOGY AND THE MAORI WORLD Joan Metge Chapter 3 BUILDING BRIDGES Maori and Pakeha Relations Gillian Cowlishaw Chapter 4 ‘CULTURE’, ‘RACE’ AND ‘ME’ Living the Anthropology of Indigenous Australians Nicolas Peterson Chapter 5 FINDING ONE’S WAY IN ARNHEM LAND Howard Morphy Chapter 6 ART AS ACTION The Yolngu David Trigger Chapter 7 RETHINKING NATURE AND NATIVENESS Christopher Pinney Chapter 8 MORE THAN LOCAL, LESS THAN GLOBAL Anthropology in the Contemporary World Nelson Graburn Chapter 9 BEYOND SELLING OUT Art, Tourism and Indigenous Self-representation Nigel Rapport Chapter 10 SOVEREIGN INDIVIDUALS AND THE ONTOLOGY OF SELFHOOD Susan Wright Chapter 11 HIDDEN HISTORIES AND POLITICAL TRANSFORMATIONS Marilyn Strathern Chapter 12 GENDER IDEOLOGY, PROPERTY RELATIONS AND MELANESIA The Field of ‘M’ Conclusion LOOKING AHEAD Past Connections and Future Directions INDEX Combining rich personal accounts from 12 veteran anthropologists with reflexive analyses of the state of anthropology today, this book is a treatise on theory and method offering fresh insights into the production of anthropological knowledge, from the creation of key concepts to major paradigm shifts.