Writing Culture and the Life of Anthropology

Using the influential and field-changing __Writing Culture__ as a point of departure, the thirteen essays in __Writing Culture and the Life of Anthropology__ address anthropology's past, present, and future. The contributors, all leading figures in anthropology today, reflect back on the "writing culture" movement of the 1980s, consider its influences on ethnographic research and writing, and debate what counts as ethnography in a post-__Writing Culture__ era. They address questions of ethnographic method, new forms the presentation of research might take, and the anthropologist's role. Exploring themes such as late industrialism, precarity, violence, science and technology, globalization, and the non-human world, this book is essential reading for those looking to understand the current state of anthropology and its possibilities going forward. Contributors. Anne Allison, James Clifford, Michael M.J. Fischer, Kim Fortun, Richard Handler, John L. Jackson, Jr., George E. Marcus, Charles Piot, Hugh Raffles, Danilyn Rutherford, Orin Starn, Kathleen Stewart, Michael Taussig, Kamala Visweswaran Cover 1 Contents 8 Introduction, Orin Starn 10 Chapter 1. Feeling Historical, James Clifford 34 Chapter 2. The Legacies of Writing Culture and the Near Future of the Ethnographic Form: A Sketch, George E. Marcus 44 Chapter 3. Between History and Coincidence: Writing Culture in the Annual Review of Anthropology, ca. 1982, Richard Handler 61 Chapter 4. Time, Camera, and the (Digital) Pen: Writing Culture Operating Systems 1.0–3.0, Michael M. J. Fischer 81 Chapter 5. Kinky Empiricism, Danilyn Rutherford 114 Chapter 6. Ethnography in Late Industrialism, Kim Fortun 128 Chapter 7. Excelente Zona Social, Michael Taussig 146 Chapter 8. Ethnography Is, Ethnography Ain’t, John L. Jackson Jr. 161 Chapter 9. From Village to Precarious Anthropology, Anne Allison 179 Chapter 10. Kinship by Other Means, Charles Piot 198 Chapter 11. Dying Worlds, Kamala Visweswaran 213 Chapter 12. Precarity’s Forms, Kathleen Stewart 230 Chapter 13. Writing Culture (or Something Like That), Hugh Raffles 237 Bibliography 246 Contributors 270 Index 274 A 274 B 274 C 274 D 275 E 275 F 275 G 276 H 276 I 276 J 276 K 276 L 276 M 276 N 277 O 277 P 277 R 277 S 277 T 277 U 277 V 277 W 277 Using the influential and field-changing Writing Culture as a point of departure, the thirteen essays in Writing Culture and the Life of Anthropology address anthropology's past, present, and future. The contributors, all leading figures in anthropology today, reflect back on the "writing culture" movement of the 1980s, consider its influences on ethnographic research and writing, and debate what counts as ethnography in a post- Writing Culture era. They address questions of ethnographic method, new forms the presentation of research might take, and the anthropologist's role. Exploring themes such as late industrialism, precarity, violence, science and technology, globalization, and the non-human world, this book is essential reading for those looking to understand the current state of anthropology and its possibilities going forward. Contributors. Anne Allison, James Clifford, Michael M.J. Fischer, Kim Fortun, Richard Handler, John L. Jackson, Jr., George E. Marcus, Charles Piot, Hugh Raffles, Danilyn Rutherford, Orin Starn, Kathleen Stewart, Michael Taussig, Kamala Visweswaran Feeling Historical / James Clifford -- The Legacies Of Writing Culture And The Near Future Of The Ethnographic Form: A Sketch / George E. Marcus -- Between History And Coincidence: Writing Culture In The Annual Review Of Anthropology, Ca. 1982 / Richard Handler -- Time, Camera, And The (digital) Pen: Writing Culture Operating Systems0.1-0.3 / Michael M. J. Fischer -- Kinky Empiricism / Danilyn Rutherford -- Ethnography In Late Industrialism / Kim Fortun -- Excelente Zona Social / Michael Taussig -- Ethnography Is, Ethnography Ain't / John L. Jackson Jr. -- From Village To Precarious Anthropology / Anne Allison -- Kinship By Other Means / Charles Piot -- Dying Worlds / Kamala Visweswaran -- Precarity's Forms / Kathleen Stewart -- Writing Culture (or Something Like That) / Hugh Raffles. Orin Starn, Editor. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 237-258) And Index. Using the influential and controversial Writing Culture as a point of departure, the thirteen essays in Writing Culture and the Life of Anthropology consider anthropology's past, document the current state of the field, and outline its future possibilities.