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The Shadow Side of Fieldwork draws attention to the typically hidden or unacknowledged aspects of ethnographic fieldwork encounters that nevertheless shape the resulting knowledge and texts. Addressing these invisible, elusive, unspoken or mysterious elements introduces a distinctive rigor and responsibility to ethnographic research. Luminaries in anthropology dare to explore the 'unspeakable' and 'invisible' in the ethnographic encounter Considers personal and professional challenges (ethical, epistemological, and political) faced by researchers who examine the subjectivities inherent in their ethnographic insights Explores the value, and limitations, of addressing the personal in ethnographic research Includes a critical discussion of the anthropologist’s self in the field Introduces imaginative rigor to ethnographic research to heighten confidence in anthropological knowledge
E-Book Content
The Shadow Side of Fieldwork Exploring the Blurred Borders between Ethnography and Life
Edited by Athena McLean and Annette Leibing
The Shadow Side of Fieldwork
Athena McLean dedicates this book to Thea Helen McLean and Trevor Jakob McLean, who have been ongoing sources of inspiration and support. Annette Leibing dedicates it to Valesca von Usslar and Nellie Leibing.
The Shadow Side of Fieldwork Exploring the Blurred Borders between Ethnography and Life
Edited by Athena McLean and Annette Leibing
© 2007 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Athena McLean and Annette Leibing to be identified as the Authors of the Editorial Material in this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2007 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1
2007
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The shadow side of fieldwork : exploring the blurred borders between ethnography and life / edited by Athena McLean and Annette Leibing. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4051-6130-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 9781-4051-6981-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Ethnology—Field work. 2. Ethnology—Moral and ethical aspects. I. McLean, Athena. II. Leibing, Annette. GN346.S33 2007 305.80072′3—dc22 2006034732 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in 11.5/13.5pt Bembo by Graphicraft Typesetters Ltd Printed and bound in Singapore by COS Printers Pte The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable forestry policy, and which has been manufactured from pulp processed using acid-free and elementary chlorine-free practices. Furthermore, the publisher ensures that the text paper and cover board used have met acceptable environmental accreditation standards. For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: www.blackwellpublishing.com
Contents
List of Contributors
vii
Foreword: In the Shadows: Anthropological Encounters with Modernity
xi
Gillian Goslinga and Gelya Frank
Acknowledgments “Learn to Value Your Shadow!” An Introduction to the Margins of Fieldwork
xix 1
Annette Leibing and Athena McLean
Part I Secrecy and Silence in the Ethnographic Encounter 1
Out of the Shadows of History and Memory: Personal Family Narratives as Intimate Ethnography
29 31
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