Theory Can Be More than It Used to Be

Dominic Boyer and James D. Fabion and George E. Marcus (Editors)

Description

Within anthropology, as elsewhere in the human sciences, there is a tendency to divide knowledge making into two separate poles: conceptual (theory) vs. empirical (ethnography). In Theory Can Be More than It Used to Be, Dominic Boyer, James D. Faubion, and George E. Marcus argue that we need to take a step back from the assumption that we know what theory is to investigate how theory-a matter of concepts, of analytic practice, of medium of value, of professional ideology-operates in anthropology and related fields today. They have assembled a distinguished group of scholars to diagnose the state of the theory-ethnography divide in anthropology today and to explore alternative modes of analytical and pedagogical practice.Continuing the methodological insights provided in Fieldwork Is Not What It Used to Be, the contributors to this volume find that now is an optimal time to reflect on the status of theory in relation to ethnographic research in anthropology and kindred disciplines. Together they engage with questions such as, What passes for theory in anthropology and the human sciences today and why? What is theory's relation to ethnography? How are students trained to identify and respect anthropological theorization and how do they practice theoretical work in their later career stages? What theoretical experiments, languages, and institutions are available to the human sciences? Throughout, the editors and authors consider theory in practical terms, rather than as an amorphous set of ideas, an esoteric discourse of power, a norm of intellectual life, or an infinitely contestable canon of texts. A short editorial afterword explores alternative ethics and institutions of pedagogy and training in theory.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 07 janvier 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501700903
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

TheoryCanBeMorethanItUsedtoBe

TheoryCanBeMorethan It Used to Be

LearningAnthropology’sMethod in a Time of Transition

EditedbyDominicBoyer,JamesD.Faubion, and George E. Marcus

CornellUniversityPress IthacaandLondon

Copyright © 2015 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2015 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2015 Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data  Theory can be more than it used to be : learning anthropology’s method in a time of transition / edited by Dominic Boyer, James D. Faubion, and George E. Marcus. cm pages Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-5017-0007-1 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-5017-0008-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Anthropology—Methodology. 2. Anthropology—Philosophy. I. Boyer, Dominic, editor. II. Faubion, James D., editor. III. Marcus, George E., editor. IV. Boyer, Dominic. Portable analytics and lateral theory. Container of (work): GN33.T44 2015 301.01—dc23 2015018642

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Cloth printing Paperback printing

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Contents

Introduction:NewMethodologiesforaTransformedDiscipline DominicBoyerandGeorgeE.Marcus

PartI.Ethnography,Fieldwork,Theorization 1.PortableAnalyticsandLateralTheory DominicBoyerandCymeneHowe 2.OnProgrammatics JamesD.Faubion

3.TheAmbitionsofTheoryWorkintheProduction of Contemporary Anthropological Research GeorgeE.Marcus

4.TheorizingthePresentEthnographically AndreasGlaeser

5.Trans-formationsofBiologyandofTheory KaushikSunderRajan

6.FiguringOutTheory:EthnographicSketches Kim Fortun

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v i C o n t e n t s

PartII.Pedagogy,Training,AnalyticalMethod 7. Responses TheoryasParallaxandProvocation AndreaBallestero UndisciplinedEngagements:Anthropology, Ethnography, Theory Lisa Breglia

TheoryMaking:FromtheRawtotheCooked JessicaMarieFalcone

PeopleinGlassCages(Shouldn’tThrowTheoreticalStones) Jamer Hunt

EthnographyandSocialTheory:ADialectictoHang Our Hats On TownsendMiddleton

TheoryasMethod DeepaS.Reddy

8. Dialogue EncounteringandEngagingTheory(orNot) TheoryinthePositiveSenseoftheTerm TeachingTheoryandAnalyticalMethod

Afterword:OntheNeedtoReinventAnthropologicalTeaching and Training in Theory Dominic Boyer

Notes Bibliography

Contributors Index

169 171 171

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210 210 219 226

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241 255 269 275

TheoryCanBeMorethanItUsedtoBe

Introduction

NewMethodologiesforaTransformedDiscipline

DominicBoyerandeGegro.EMarcus

Weaimheretoofferadifferentkindofbookabout“theoryinanthropol- ogy.” Generally speaking, one would expect from such a project a gathering of theoretical narratives more and less recent, a discussion of major argu- ments and paradigms, the kind of retrospective or futurological canon- making of which Sherry Ortner’s well-known article (1984) remains an exemplary case. Another variation, although perhaps less common in our relatively ecumenical era, is the programmatic manifesto arguing more or less explicitly that “this is what theory should look like in anthropology.” But our objective here is not to promote theory or any theoretical approach as such. Nor do we offer an analysis of the latest trends—this book does not explain why, for example, new materialisms, vitalisms, and ecologi- cal phenomenologies are roaming anthropological ethnography so boldly of late. Rather, this book tries to take a step back from the assumption that we knowwhat“theory” is to investigatehow“theory”—a phenome- non we regard equally as a matter of concepts, of analytic practice, of me- dium of value, of professional ideology—operates in anthropology and its