In Defense of Anthropology - An Investigation of the Critique of Anthropology

This book argues that the history and character of modern anthropology has been egregiously distorted to the detriment of this intellectual pursuit and academic discipline. The "critique of anthropology" is a product of the momentous and tormented events of the 1960s when students and some of their elders cried, "Trust no one over thirty!" The Marxist, postmodern, and postcolonial waves that followed took aim at anthropology and the result has been a serious loss of confidence; both the reputation and the practice of anthropology has suffered greatly. The time has come to move past this damaging discourse.Herbert S. Lewis chronicles these developments, and subjects the "critique" to a long overdue interrogation based on wide-ranging knowledge of the field and its history, as well as the application of common sense. The book questions discourses about anthropology and colonialism, anthropologists and history, the problem of "exoticizing'the Other,'" anthropologists and the Cold War, and more. Written by a master of the profession, In Defense of Anthropology will require consideration by all anthropologists, historians, sociologists of science, and cultural theorists.Table of ContentAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1 The Misrepresentation of Anthropology and Its Consequences2 The Radical Transformation of Anthropology: History Seen through the Annual Meetingsof the AAA, 1955–20053 Anthropology Then and Now4 Was Anthropology the Child, the Tool, or the Handmaiden of Colonialism?5 Imagining Anthropology's History6 The Passion of Franz Boas7 Franz Boas: Boon or Bane?8 American Anthropology and the Cold War9 Anthropology or Cultural and Critical Theory?EpilogueReferencesIndexReview Quote"[A]n articulated, public version of what many of us have felt: How can studies of diffusion possibly be construed as presupposing an isolated cultural whole? ... a welcome remedy to criticisms which, ironically, often treat classical anthropology as homogenous, unchanging, and radically disconnected from contemporary anthropological theory... a welcome addition to the literature which demonstrates the role that the history of anthropology can play in challenging our discipline's contemporary self-understanding." - Alex Golub, History of Anthropology NewsletterBiographical NoteHerbert S. Lewis is a cultural anthropologist who conducted fieldwork in the West Indies, Ethiopia, Israel, and the USA. His works include Jimma Abba Jifar: An Oromo Monarchy, After the Eagles Landed: The Yemenites of Israel, and OneidaLives: Long-Lost Voices of the Wisconsin Oneidas.