Anthropological Locations：Boundaries and Grounds of a Field Science

Amongthesocialsciences,anthropologyreliesmostfundamentallyon"fieldwork"--thelong-termimmersioninanotherwayoflifeasthebasisforknowledge.Inanerawhenanthropologistsarestudyingtopicsthatresistgeographicallocalization,thisbookinitiatesalong-overduediscussionofthepoliticalandepistemologicalimplicationsofthedisciplinarycommitmenttofieldwork.Theseinnovative,stimulatingessays--carefullychosentoformacoherentwhole--interrogatethenotionof"thefield,"showinghowtheconceptishistoricallyconstructedandexploringtheconsequencesofitsdominance.Theessaysdiscussanthropologicalworkdoneinplaces(inrefugeecamps,ontelevision)oramongpopulations(gaysandlesbians,homelesspeopleintheUnitedStates)thatchallengethetraditionalboundariesof"thefield."Thecontributorssuggestalternativemethodologiesappropriateforcontemporaryproblemsandultimatelyproposeareformationofthedisciplineofanthropology.