Biblioteca Digital de VanguardiaLa Ethnography in the way of theory
In this article, I return to my engagements with people in the field not only to address the specific circumstances and trajectories I encountered there, but to make a case for allowing our engagement with Others to determine the course of our thinking about them and to reflect more broadly upon the...
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| Formato: | info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
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Instituto de Altos Estudios Sociales
2016
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| Acceso en línea: | http://revistasacademicas.unsam.edu.ar/index.php/etnocontemp/article/view/424 http://biblioteca-repositorio.clacso.edu.ar/handle/CLACSO/25032 |
| _version_ | 1782335631910764544 |
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| author | Biehl, Joao |
| author_facet | Biehl, Joao |
| author_sort | Biehl, Joao |
| collection | Repositorio |
| description | In this article, I return to my engagements with people in the field not only to address the specific circumstances and trajectories I encountered there, but to make a
case for allowing our engagement with Others to determine the course of our thinking about them and to reflect more broadly upon the agonistic and reflexive relations between anthropology and philosophy. I do so in order to suggest that through
ethnographic rendering, people’s own theorizing of their conditions may leak into, animate, and challenge present-day regimes of veridiction, including philosophical universals and anthropological subjugation to philosophy. I am interested in how
ethnographic realities find their way into theoretical work. Using the mutual influence between Pierre Clastres and Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari as a case study, I argue against reducing ethnography to protophilosophy. The relationship, in fact, may be more productively seen as one of creative tension and cross-pollination. This
sense of ethnography in the way of (instead of to) theory—like art—aims at keeping interrelatedness, precariousness, curiosity, and unfinishedness in focus. In resisting synthetic ends and making openings rather than absolute truths, ethnographic practice allows for an emancipatory reflexivity and for a more empowering critique of the rationalities, interventions, and moral issues of our times. I conclude with a
literal return to the field and reflect on how the story of lives continues. |
| format | info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| id | clacso-CLACSO25032 |
| institution | CLACSO, Repositorio Digital |
| language | Español |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Instituto de Altos Estudios Sociales |
| record_format | greenstone |
| spelling | clacso-CLACSO250322022-03-15T19:49:44Z La Ethnography in the way of theory La etnografía en el camino de la teoría Biehl, Joao ethnography and critical theory fieldwork and life stories exchanges between Clastres Deleuze and Guattari concept work human becomings the unfinishedness of anthropology etnografía y teoría crítica trabajo de campo e historias de vida intercambios entre Clastres Deleuze y Guattari trabajo conceptual devenires humanos lo inacabado de la antropología In this article, I return to my engagements with people in the field not only to address the specific circumstances and trajectories I encountered there, but to make a case for allowing our engagement with Others to determine the course of our thinking about them and to reflect more broadly upon the agonistic and reflexive relations between anthropology and philosophy. I do so in order to suggest that through ethnographic rendering, people’s own theorizing of their conditions may leak into, animate, and challenge present-day regimes of veridiction, including philosophical universals and anthropological subjugation to philosophy. I am interested in how ethnographic realities find their way into theoretical work. Using the mutual influence between Pierre Clastres and Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari as a case study, I argue against reducing ethnography to protophilosophy. The relationship, in fact, may be more productively seen as one of creative tension and cross-pollination. This sense of ethnography in the way of (instead of to) theory—like art—aims at keeping interrelatedness, precariousness, curiosity, and unfinishedness in focus. In resisting synthetic ends and making openings rather than absolute truths, ethnographic practice allows for an emancipatory reflexivity and for a more empowering critique of the rationalities, interventions, and moral issues of our times. I conclude with a literal return to the field and reflect on how the story of lives continues. En este artículo, regreso a mis involucramientos con las personas en el trabajo de campo, no sólo para ocuparme de las circunstancias y los trayectos específicos que encontré allí, sino para argumentar a favor de permitir que el involucramiento con Otros determine el curso de nuestro pensamiento acerca de ellos y para reflexionar más ampliamente sobre las relaciones agonales y reflexivas entre antropología y filosofía. Hago esto para sugerir que a través de la representación etnográfica, la propia teorización de las personas sobre sus condiciones puede filtrarse, animar y desafiar los regímenes actuales de veridicción, incluyendo los universales filosóficos y el sometimiento de la antropología a la filosofía. Estoy interesado en cómo las realidades etnográficas encuentran su camino hacia el trabajo etnográfico. Utilizando la influencia mutua entre Pierre Clastres y Gilles Deleuze y Félix Guattari como un caso de estudio, argumento contra la reducción de la etnografía a protofilosofía. La relación, de hecho, puede ser vista de modo más productivo como una de tensión creativa y polinización cruzada. Este sentido de etnografía en el camino de la teoría (en vez de etnografía en camino hacia una teoría) –al igual que el arte– tiene como objetivo mantener en la mira lo relacional, lo precario, lo curioso y lo inacabado. Al resistir los fines sintéticos y generar aperturas en lugar de verdades absolutas, la práctica etnográfica permite una reflexividad emancipadora y una crítica más fortalecedora de las racionalidades, intervenciones y cuestiones morales de nuestro tiempo. Concluyo con un regreso literal al trabajo de campo y reflexiono sobre cómo la historia de las vidas continúa. 2016-11-02 2022-03-15T19:49:44Z 2022-03-15T19:49:44Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://revistasacademicas.unsam.edu.ar/index.php/etnocontemp/article/view/424 http://biblioteca-repositorio.clacso.edu.ar/handle/CLACSO/25032 spa http://revistasacademicas.unsam.edu.ar/index.php/etnocontemp/article/view/424/394 http://revistasacademicas.unsam.edu.ar/index.php/etnocontemp/article/view/424/1477 application/pdf text/html Instituto de Altos Estudios Sociales Etnografías Contemporáneas; Vol. 2 Núm. 3 (2016): Etnografías Contemporáneas 2451-8050 |
| spellingShingle | ethnography and critical theory fieldwork and life stories exchanges between Clastres Deleuze and Guattari concept work human becomings the unfinishedness of anthropology etnografía y teoría crítica trabajo de campo e historias de vida intercambios entre Clastres Deleuze y Guattari trabajo conceptual devenires humanos lo inacabado de la antropología Biehl, Joao La Ethnography in the way of theory |
| title | La Ethnography in the way of theory |
| title_full | La Ethnography in the way of theory |
| title_fullStr | La Ethnography in the way of theory |
| title_full_unstemmed | La Ethnography in the way of theory |
| title_short | La Ethnography in the way of theory |
| title_sort | la ethnography in the way of theory |
| topic | ethnography and critical theory fieldwork and life stories exchanges between Clastres Deleuze and Guattari concept work human becomings the unfinishedness of anthropology etnografía y teoría crítica trabajo de campo e historias de vida intercambios entre Clastres Deleuze y Guattari trabajo conceptual devenires humanos lo inacabado de la antropología |
| url | http://revistasacademicas.unsam.edu.ar/index.php/etnocontemp/article/view/424 http://biblioteca-repositorio.clacso.edu.ar/handle/CLACSO/25032 |