Questions for the Last Week

1.  According to Sahlins, how were Chagnon’s research methods (bribing, aggressive interactions, indiscriminate distribution of industrialized goods) also a reflection of academic expectations?

2. On page 4, Sahlins writes “…the more unwanted Chagnon became in the Venezuelan jungle, the more celebrated he was in American science.”  Unpack this sentence: what made Chagnon unpopular among the Yanomami, Venezuelan anthropologists, and Indian leaders?  What is Chagnon celebrated for in "American science"?

3. Sahlins writes: “While some of Tierney’s reporting has come under fire, this is nonetheless a revealing book, with a cautionary message that extends well beyond the field of anthropology. It reads like an allegory of American power and culture since Vietnam” (2).   What relationships can you identify between this sentence and James Clifford's discussion of "ethnographic allegory."

4.  What does Clifford say about the relationship between the "allegorical" and "referential" meanings of ethnographic writing? Look for a specific passage in which Clifford addresses the relationship between these two dimensions of meaning of ethnographic writing. Quote the passage and unpack it.

5. Clifford discusses the allegorical dimensions of Shostak's Nisa and identifies three major allegories of that text (if you have never read that ethnography, it is worth reading a bit of it before Tuesday and all of it over the summer!).  Now, here's your question (the last one of the last study guide--alas).  For the non-seniors in the class, take Clifford's discussion as a model and discuss the allegorical dimensions of the text you are studying for your final paper.  For the seniors who have written an anthropology thesis, take Clifford's discussion as a model and discuss the allegorical dimensions of your own senior thesis.  For the seniors who have not written an anthropology thesis, take Clifford's discussion as a model, and discuss the allegorical dimensions of the ethnography you know best.