Synopses & Reviews
Since its founding in the nineteenth century, social anthropology has been seen as the study of exotic peoples in faraway places. But today more and more anthropologists are dedicating themselves not just to observing but to understanding and helping solve social problems wherever they occurand#8212;in international aid organizations, British TV studios, American hospitals, or racist enclaves in Eastern Europe, for example.
In Exotic No More, an initiative of the Royal Anthropological Institute, some of today's most respected anthropologists demonstrate, in clear, unpretentious prose, the tremendous contributions that anthropology can make to contemporary society. They cover issues ranging from fundamentalism to forced migration, child labor to crack dealing, human rights to hunger, ethnicity to environmentalism, intellectual property rights to international capitalisms. But Exotic No More is more than a litany of gloom and doom; the essays also explore topics usually associated with leisure or "high" culture, including the media, visual arts, tourism, and music. Each author uses specific examples from their fieldwork to illustrate their discussions, and 62 photographs enliven the text.
Throughout the book, the contributors highlight anthropology's commitment to taking people seriously on their own terms, paying close attention to what they are saying and doing, and trying to understand how they see the world and why. Sometimes this bottom-up perspective makes the strange familiar, but it can also make the familiar strange, exposing the cultural basis of seemingly "natural" behaviors and challenging us to rethink some of our most cherished ideasand#8212;about gender, "free" markets, "race," and "refugees," among many others.
Contributors:
William O. Beeman
Philippe Bourgois
John Chernoff
E. Valentine Daniel
Alex de Waal
Judith Ennew
James Fairhead
Sarah Franklin
Michael Gilsenan
Faye Ginsburg
Alma Gottlieb
Christopher Hann
Faye V. Harrison
Richard Jenkins
Melissa Leach
Margaret Lock
Jeremy MacClancy
Jonathan Mazower
Ellen Messer
A. David Napier
Nancy Scheper-Hughes
Jane Schneider
Parker Shipton
Christopher B. Steiner
Synopsis
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Taking People SeriouslyJeremy MacClancy1. Understanding Inner-City Poverty: Resistance and Self-Destruction under U.S. ApartheidPhilippe Bourgois2. Min(d)ing the Body: On the Trail of Organ-Stealing RumorsNancy Scheper-Hughes3. World Markets: Anthropological PerspectivesJane Schneider4. Political Ideologies: Socialism and Its DiscontentsChris Hann5. On Conflict and ViolenceMichael Gilsenan6. Imagined but Not Imaginary: Ethnicity and Nationalism in the Modern WorldRichard Jenkins7. Fighting the Good Fight: Fundamentalism and Religious RevivalWilliam O. Beeman8. Unraveling "Race" for the Twenty-First CenturyFaye V. Harrison9. Interpreting Gender and Sexuality: Approaches from Cultural AnthropologyAlma Gottlie 10. Medical Knowledge and Body PoliticsMargaret Lock11. Anthropology, Culture, and EnvironmentMelissa Leach and James Fairhead12. Hunger in Africa: Untangling Its Human RootsEllen Messer and Parker Shipton13. Anthropology and the Aid EncounterAlex de Waal14. The Refugee: A Discourse on DisplacementE. Valentine Daniel15. Our Own Way: On Anthropology and Intellectual PropertyA. David Napier16. Anthropologists in a World with and without Human RightsEllen Messer17. Future Generations and Global Standards: Children's Rights at the Start of the MillenniumJudith Ennew18. The Anthropology of ScienceSarah Franklin19. Fieldwork at the Movies: Anthropology and MediaFaye Ginsburg20. Ideas of Culture and the Challenge of MusicJohn Chernoff21. Art/Anthropology/Museums: Revulsions and RevolutionsChristopher B. Steiner22. Paradise Postponed: The Predicaments of TourismJeremy MacClancy23. Survival InternationalJonathan MazowerContributorsIndex
Synopsis
Since its founding in the nineteenth century, social anthropology has been seen as the study of exotic peoples in faraway places. But today more and more anthropologists are dedicating themselves to addressing matters of public concern and to understanding and helping solve social problems wherever they occur-in international aid organizations, British TV studios, American hospitals, or racist enclaves in Eastern Europe, for example. In
Exotic No More, an initiative of the Royal Anthropological Institute, some of today's most respected anthropologists demonstrate, in clear, unpretentious prose, the tremendous contributions that anthropology can make to contemporary society.
Covering issues ranging from fundamentalism to forced migration, child labor to crack dealing, and visual arts to tourism, the contributors highlight anthropology's commitment to taking people seriously on their own terms, paying close attention to what they are saying and doing, and trying to understand how they see the world and why. In exposing the cultural basis of seemingly "natural" behaviors and challenging us to rethink some of our most cherished ideas-about gender, "free" markets, "race," and "refugees"-the essays here demonstrate the vitality of anthropology for today's world.
About the Author
Jeremy MacClancy is a professor in social anthropology at Oxford Brookes University. He is the author or editor of a number of books, including Consuming Culture, Popularizing Anthropology, and The Decline of Carlism.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Taking People Seriously
Jeremy MacClancy
1. Understanding Inner-City Poverty: Resistance and Self-Destruction under U.S. Apartheid
Philippe Bourgois
2. Min(d)ing the Body: On the Trail of Organ-Stealing Rumors
Nancy Scheper-Hughes
3. World Markets: Anthropological Perspectives
Jane Schneider
4. Political Ideologies: Socialism and Its Discontents
Chris Hann
5. On Conflict and Violence
Michael Gilsenan
6. Imagined but Not Imaginary: Ethnicity and Nationalism in the Modern World
Richard Jenkins
7. Fighting the Good Fight: Fundamentalism and Religious Revival
William O. Beeman
8. Unraveling "Race" for the Twenty-First Century
Faye V. Harrison
9. Interpreting Gender and Sexuality: Approaches from Cultural Anthropology
Alma Gottlieb
10. Medical Knowledge and Body Politics
Margaret Lock
11. Anthropology, Culture, and Environment
Melissa Leach and James Fairhead
12. Hunger in Africa: Untangling Its Human Roots
Ellen Messer and Parker Shipton
13. Anthropology and the Aid Encounter
Alex de Waal
14. The Refugee: A Discourse on Displacement
E. Valentine Daniel
15. Our Own Way: On Anthropology and Intellectual Property
A. David Napier
16. Anthropologists in a World with and without Human Rights
Ellen Messer
17. Future Generations and Global Standards: Children's Rights at the Start of the Millennium
Judith Ennew
18. The Anthropology of Science
Sarah Franklin
19. Fieldwork at the Movies: Anthropology and Media
Faye Ginsburg
20. Ideas of Culture and the Challenge of Music
John Chernoff
21. Art/Anthropology/Museums: Revulsions and Revolutions
Christopher B. Steiner
22. Paradise Postponed: The Predicaments of Tourism
Jeremy MacClancy
23. Survival International
Jonathan Mazower
Contributors
Index