Ethnographic Artifacts

Book excerpt: Ethnographic Artifacts: Challenges to a Reflexive Anthropology examines anthropological practice and product, confronting issues of representation and the power of discourse in the lives and practice of both those doing research and of those being researched. Using eight case studies by ethnographers who share extensive research experience in the Pacific, the volume outlines "the trouble with ethnography" so representative of the end of this century, where ethnography itself is perceived as a codification of contested relations. Ethnographic Artifacts takes a unique approach to the social life of ethnography. The editors identify three domains in which ethnographic artifacts are given meaning: as text, as object, and as a historically contrived representation of the community in the public sphere. By allowing that analysis of the life of ethnography is important in all three of these domains, appreciation moves beyond narrow rhetorical and textual concerns. The volume provides a multi-faceted means for the reflexive understanding of the production, distribution, and reception of ethnography. Its goal is not mere documentation but rather the assessment of the ethical dimensions of the discipline's practice in a globalizing world. By melding ethical concerns with reflection on the text and the object itself, Ethnographic Artifacts adds dimension to the now well-established reflexive literature. Contributors: Niko Besnier, Jonathan Friedman, Michael Goldsmith, Sjoerd R. Jaarsma, Grant McCall, Mary N. MacDonald, Judith Macdonald, Toon van Meijl, Marta A. Rohatynskyj.