|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Library Journal
Clifford's concern is a "pervasive post-colonial crisis of ethnographic authority." Knowledge of non-Western peoples has been shaped by "a Western will to power," but peoples whose stories and cultures were once articulated by outsiders are now speaking for themselves. Are traditional cultures destined to be lost? Who has the authority to define a culture, to identify and authenticate the current transformations of traditional cultures? Why have exotic "tribal" objects been collected and valued as "art"? Clifford pursues such questions in a wide range of contexts. The result is always accessible, and often fascinating or provocative; but one looks forward to a concise, systematic exposition of the issues Clifford has raised. Richard Kuczkowski, Dominican Coll., Blauvelt, N.Y.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
The Predicament of Culture is a work of sustained brilliance, packed with simply wonderful gifts for the reader. The several chapters on French anthropology and ethnographic surrealism are fascinating, and somehow as urgent as the ones on collecting or on the relentless intertranslating of cultural demands, or as the theme that we must rethink this entire dimension of human existence. It is also an extremely wise book. Since wisdom and brilliance rarely go together, it is plain that James Clifford is himself one of our cultural treasures.
--Arthur C. Danto (New York Times Book Review )
Clifford is original and very nearly unique. He is one of the few persons who connects history, literature, and anthropology. He's had an enormous impact because he provides a new perspective on the study of culture that would almost certainly never have been generated from within anthropology itself.
--Clifford Geertz
Clifford's reflections are salutory. They are not self-serving, allowing Clifford entry by a backdoor into a community which often threatens the exclusivity of a private club. By breaking with narrow professional definitions of anthropology, Clifford broadens its vision. Anthropology again becomes the exploration of the grounds of humanity in its original, general, and philosophically fundamental sense.
--Bruce Kapferer (Critique of Anthropology )
With an intellectual modesty that belies his sweeping global perspective, Clifford focuses on who has the authority to speak for any group's identity and authenticity. As he traces the development of twentieth-century anthropology, Clifford locates affinities between anthropology and avant-garde art, making this book one of the most readable introductions to contemporary cultural criticism.
--Mary Warner Marien (Utne Reader )
--Arthur C. Danto (New York Times Book Review )
Clifford is original and very nearly unique. He is one of the few persons who connects history, literature, and anthropology. He's had an enormous impact because he provides a new perspective on the study of culture that would almost certainly never have been generated from within anthropology itself.
--Clifford Geertz
Clifford's reflections are salutory. They are not self-serving, allowing Clifford entry by a backdoor into a community which often threatens the exclusivity of a private club. By breaking with narrow professional definitions of anthropology, Clifford broadens its vision. Anthropology again becomes the exploration of the grounds of humanity in its original, general, and philosophically fundamental sense.
--Bruce Kapferer (Critique of Anthropology )
With an intellectual modesty that belies his sweeping global perspective, Clifford focuses on who has the authority to speak for any group's identity and authenticity. As he traces the development of twentieth-century anthropology, Clifford locates affinities between anthropology and avant-garde art, making this book one of the most readable introductions to contemporary cultural criticism.
--Mary Warner Marien (Utne Reader )
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding anthropological essays,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Predicament of Culture: Twentieth-Century Ethnography, Literature, and Art (Paperback)
James Clifford's book considers how anthropology can exist in these postmodern times. Considering such phenomena as a museum exhibit which displays "primitive artefacts" next to contemporaneous "modern art pieces," Clifford discusses the way "Western" culture privileges its own culture at the expense of other cultures, clearly showing the ways assumptions of the definition of culture defines this privilege. Clifford's essay on the Mashpees on Cape Cod offers a striking example of directions in which anthropology can move to redesign its own project without privileging itself. A well-written, erudite text. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the workings of contemporary society.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review) 27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding anthropological essays,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Predicament of Culture: Twentieth-Century Ethnography, Literature, and Art (Paperback)
James Clifford's book considers how anthropology can exist in these postmodern times. Considering such phenomena as a museum exhibit which displays "primitive artefacts" next to contemporaneous "modern art pieces," Clifford discusses the way "Western" culture privileges its own culture at the expense of other cultures, clearly showing the ways assumptions of the definition of culture defines this privilege. Clifford's essay on the Mashpees on Cape Cod offers a striking example of directions in which anthropology can move to redesign its own project without privileging itself. A well-written, erudite text. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the workings of contemporary society.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
