Major figures in contemporary anthropology present a dialogic critique
of ethnography. Moving beyond sociolinguistics and performance theory,
and inspired by Bakhtin and by their own field experiences, the contributors
revise notions of where culture actually resides. This pioneering effort
integrates a concern for linguistic processes with interpretive approaches
to culture.
Culture and ethnography are located in social interaction. The collection
contains dialogues that trace the entire course of ethnographic interpretation,
from field research to publication. The authors explore an anthropology
that actively acknowledges the dialogical nature of its own production.
Chapters strike a balance between theory and practice and will also be
of interest in cultural studies, literary criticism, linguistics, and
philosophy.
CONTRIBUTORS: Deborah Tannen, John Attinasi, Paul Friedrich, Billie
Jean Isbell, Allan F. Burns, Jane H. Hill, Ruth Behar, Jean DeBernardi,
R. P. McDermott, Henry Tylbor, Alton L. Becker, Bruce Mannheim, Dennis
Tedlock