Navigators of the contemporary : why ethnography matters / David A. Westbrook.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Westbrook, David A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethnology--Philosophy.

Ethnology.

Ethnology--United States.

Applied anthropology--Philosophy.

Applied anthropology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (163 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

As the image of anthropologists exploring exotic locales and filling in blanks on the map has faded, the idea that cultural anthropology has much to say about the contemporary world has likewise diminished. In an increasingly smaller world, how can anthropology help us to tackle the concerns of a global society? David A. Westbrook argues that the traditional tool of the cultural anthropologist-ethnography-can still function as an intellectually exciting way to understand our interconnected, yet mysterious worlds. Navigators of the Contemporary describes the changing nature of ethnography as anthropologists use it to analyze places closer to home. Westbrook maintains that a conversational style of ethnography can help us look beyond our assumptions and gain new insight into arenas of contemporary life such as corporations, financial institutions, science, the military, and religion. Westbrook's witty, absorbing book is a friendly challenge to anthropologists to shed light on the present and join broader streams of intellectual life. And for those outside the discipline, his inspiring vision of ethnography opens up the prospect of understanding our own world in much greater depth.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. The Venture

Chapter 2. Culture Everywhere and Nowhere

Chapter 3. Conversation as Another Kind of Solution

Chapter 4. This Book and Other Books

Chapter 5. What?

Chapter 6. Where?

Chapter 7. Who?

Chapter 8. When?

Chapter 9. How?

Chapter 10. Why?

Chapter 11. Rupture and Continuity

Chapter 12. Theory

Chapter 13. Fieldwork

Chapter 14. Writing

Chapter 15. One Discipline among Others

Chapter 16. The Intellectual's Situation

Chapter 17. The Imaginary and the Political

Chapter 18. Ethnography and the Bureaucratic University

Chapter 19. From Science to Romance

Chapter 20. Reprise

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

ISBN:

9786612070419

9781282070417

128207041X

9780226887531

0226887537

OCLC:

435820218