400003 FK Ethnographies in Context (2017W)

Ethnography and theory are predicated upon each other and both are aspects of a single endeavor. Since doing ethnography usually implies making an effort to understand and describe with reference to the complexities of a certain place, generalizations and theories emerge from the particulars of a locality. In a next step, a certain perspective or a generalization of a specific phenomenon is transferred to other regions or other parts of the globe: Trobriand reciprocity is compared to gift giving in India or African lineage theory is tested in highland Papua New Guinea. Such direct transplantations of theoretical perspectives do not always work, but such a comparative perspective helped refine our conceptual tools in a close dialogue with ethnographic data. Berger: 2012:325

The seminar will focus on several dimensions of the interface between ethnography, theory and specific regional settings. On the one hand, we will read texts that investigate these interrelations and their implications for anthropological research. On the other hand, students will present and discuss these issues in regard to their ongoing PhD research.

Language: English, the final paper can be written in English, German or Spanish