‘Other Anthropologies and Anthropology Otherwise’

Abstract

This article seeks to complicate the picture of a simple anthropological tradition emanating from the West that defines anthropology as a modern form of expert knowledge. It introduces a broader frame - ‘world anthropologies’ - that allows us to think about the discipline in terms of a multiple space where ‘other anthropologies’ and ‘anthropology otherwise’ may become newly visible. ‘World anthropologies’ involves a critical awareness of both the larger epistemic and political field in which anthropology emerged and continues to function, and of the micropractices and relations of power within and across different anthropological locations and traditions. The article revisits the critiques of the discipline developed within the dominant locations, proposes a larger framework of inquiry, and ends by suggesting a few first steps towards the positive project of imagining a plural landscape of world anthropologies.