ENGLISH

The Ethics of Anthropology: Debates and Dilemmas

By Pat Caplan

Book information

Year
2003
ISBN
0415296439, 9780415296434
LCC
GN33.6 .E86 2003
Open Library ID
OL22533626M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
3 MB (3305243 bytes)
Edition
1
Pages
256\250
Scanned
yes
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

Since the inception of their discipline, anthropologists have studied virtually every conceivable aspect of other peoples' morality - religion, social control, sin, virtue, evil, duty, purity and pollution. But what of the examination of anthropology itself, and of its agendas, epistemes, theories and praxes? In 1991, Raymond Firth spoke of social anthropology as an essentially moral discipline. Is such a view outmoded in a postmodern era? Do anthropological ethics have to be re-thought each generation as the conditions of the discipline change, and as choices collide with moral alternatives? The Ethics of Anthropology looks at some of these crucial issues as they reflect on researcher relations, privacy, authority, secrecy and ownership of knowledge. The book combines theoretical papers and case studies from eminent scholars including Lisette Josephides, Steven Nugent, Marilyn Silverman, Andrew Spiegel and Veronica Strang. Showing how the topic of ethics goes to the heart of anthropology, it raises the controversial question of why - and for whom - the anthropological discipline functions.

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