Ethnography: A Theoretically Oriented Practice

This volume presents both a historical exploration of ethnography and a thematic discussion of major trends that, over different periods, have oriented and re-oriented research practice. As it overviews ethnography from different geographic and thematic perspectives, it further explores new lines of ethnographic research, including as feminist ethnography and visual research, that uncover non-traditional routes to anthropological knowledge. As the great ethnographer E. E. Evans-Pritchard wrote, "Anyone who is not a complete idiot can do fieldwork... but will [his contribution] be to theoretical, or just to factual knowledge?" As Evans-Pritchard highlights and as this book argues, successful ethnography must be connected to a sophisticated theoretical reflection rooted in social and cultural anthropology.

Chapter 1: Introduction: A Theoretically Oriented Practice -- Part I: Grounds for sociocultural anthropology: USA, UK, FR, IT -- Chapter 2: Ethnography before ethnography. Genesis and developments of field research in North America -- Chapter 3: Before and after Science: Radcliffe-Brown, British social anthropology and the problem of the relationship between fieldwork methods, ethnography and theory -- Chapter 4: "Ethnography in France". Ethnographic practices and theories from Marcel Mauss to Marcel Griaule -- Chapter 5: The Structural Formula of the Team. Reflections on the Ethnographic Method of Ernesto de Martino -- Part II. Anthropology (Theory) vs Ethnography (Fieldwork) -- Chapter 6: Illusion of immediate knowledge (immediacy) or spiritual exercise? The dialogic exchange and the Pierre Bourdieu's ethnography -- Chapter 7: "A conspiracy of silence": George Balandier and the study of African slavery and post-slavery -- Chapter 8: The Bridge and the Dance: Situational Analysis in Anthropology -- Chapter 9: Politics within Cultural and Social Anthropology -- Chapter 10: Stumbling blocks. The irruption of the interpretive approach in twentieth century anthropology -- Part III. V…