Sommersemester 2000
Contemporary „Anthropological“ Writing
Content:
Increasingly, anthropologists are recognizing the ambivalent position of their writings on foreign cultures between „scientific“ reports and literary works, having become aware of the impact of narrative strategies on the perception of other cultures by their readers. We will analyse anthropological writing proper (Barley) as well as travelogues by writers and journalists (Clark, Phillips, Richburg) and a travelogue disguised as fiction (which may or may not be fiction after all: Morgan). Perspectives vary from the familiar „White on Black“ to „Black on White“ (possibly as instances of „writing back“) to „Black on Black“ (i.e. African-American on African). We will examine the peculiar place of the traveller/writer between two cultures, his/her place in the text and his/her criteria for selection and presentation.
Required basic reading: Nigel Barley: The Innocent Anthropologist (1986), John Pepper Clark: America, Their America (1964), Marlo Morgan: Mutant Message from Downunder (1995), Caryl Phillips: The European Tribe (1987), Keith B. Richburg: Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa (1998).
Requirement for a Hauptstudium Schein Literaturwissenschaft: oral presentation of a topic and a written version of this (set out in MLA style).
Week 1: 05/04/00 Introduction: What Is Anthropology?
Week 2: 12/04/00 What Is „Anthropological“ Writing? Ethnographic Writing about Africa: Early Examples
Week 3: 19/04/00 Popular Ethnography: Nigel Barley, The Innocent Anthropologist (1986)
Week 4: 26/04/00 Nigel Barley, The Innocent Anthropologist (1986)
Week 5: 03/05/00 John Pepper Clark, America, Their America (1964)
Week 6: 10/05/00 Ethnographic Writing by Poets, Novelists and Journalists (Non-Fiction). Travelogues as Ethnographic Writing
Week 7: 17/05/00 Caryl Phillips, The European Tribe (1987)
Week 8: 24/05/00 Caryl Phillips, The European Tribe (1987)
Week 9: 31/05/00 African-American Writing about Africa: Keith B. Richburg, Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa (1998)
Week 10: 07/06/00 Keith B. Richburg, Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa (1998)
Week 11: 21/06/00 Marlo Morgan, Mutant Message from Downunder (1995)
Week 12: 28/06/00 Marlo Morgan, Mutant Message from Downunder (1995)
Week 13: 05/07/00 Fiction as Ethnographic Writing, Ethnographic Writing as Fiction
Week 14: 12/07/00 Conclusion
Selected Bib-/Webliography
1. General
Bachmann-Medick, Doris. „Cultural Misunderstanding in Translation: Multicultural Coexistence and Multicultural Conceptions of World Literature.“ EESE 7, 1996. <http://www.ph-erfurt.de/ ~neumann/eese/eese.html>
Belobratow, Alexandr W. „Die Kultur der Übergänge: Konfliktfelder interkultureller Prozesse.“ Trans: Internet-Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften, Nr. 5, Juli 1998 <http://www.adis.at/arlt/ institut/trans/5Nr/belobra2.htm>.
Buch, Hans Christoph. Die Nähe und die Ferne: Frankfurter Vorlesungen. Frankfurt: edition suhr-kamp, 1991.
Clifford, James, and George.E. Marcus, eds. Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986. (University Library)
Fabian, Johannes. Time and the Other. How Anthropology Makes Its Object. New York: Columbia University Press, 1983.
Garrett, Greg. „Relocating Burton: Public and Private Writings on Africa.“ The Journal of African Travel Writing, No. 2, March 1997, pp. 70-79. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www.unc.edu/~ottotwo/burton.html>
Geertz, Clifford. Works and Lives: The Anthropologist as Author. 1988. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1989. (University Library)
Geertz, Clifford. „Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture.“ 22 Feb. 2000. <http://www.people.virginia.edu/~tsawyer/DRBR/geertz2.txt>
Hill, Lynda. „Seeing the Mirage: African American Narrative and Change.“ Sixth Annual African Studies Consortium Workshop, October 02, 1998. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www.sas.upenn.edu/ African_Studies/Workshop/linda98.htm>
Honold, Alexander. „Das Fremde verstehen - das Verstehen verfremden: Ethnographie als Herausforderung für Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft.“ Trans: Internet-Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften, Nr. 1, September 1997 <http://www.adis.at/arlt/insitut/trans/1Nr/honold.htm>.
Horn, Peter. „Interkultureller Eurozentrismus: Kultur-'Austausch' mit der Dritten Welt.“ Trans: Internet-Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften, Nr. 5, Juli 1998 <http://www.adis.at/arlt/institut/ trans/ 5Nr/phorn.htm>.
Kohl, Karl-Heinz. Ethnologie - die Wissenschaft vom kulturell Fremden: Eine Einführung. München: C.H. Beck, 1993. (University Library)
Lévi-Strauss, Claude. Tristes Tropiques. 1955. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1992. (German Translation available in University Library)
Moser, Heinz. „Thick Description and Abduction: Paradigm Change in Social Research.“ Praxisforschung. 26 Feb. 2000. <http://www.schulnetz.ch/unterrichten/fachbereiche/medienseminar/paradigms.htm>
Redmond, Sean. „Speke's Journal.“ The Journal of African Travel Writing, No. 3, Sept. 1997, pp. 87-91. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www.unc.edu/~ottotwo/Spekereview.html>
Said, Edward. Culture and Imperialism. London: Chatto & Windus, 1993. (University Library)
2.1. Nigel Barley
Barley, Nigel. A Plague of Caterpillars: A Return to the African Bush. New York: Viking Penguin, 1986.
2.2. John Pepper Clark
Wren, Robert M. J.P. Clark. Lagos: Lagos University Press, 1984 (reprint of Twayne's World Author Series No. 734).
2.3. Caryl Phillips
British Council Germany. New Writing from Britain - Caryl Phillips. 19 Feb. 2000 <http://www. britcoun.de/newwri98/phillips.htm>
Ledent, Bénédicte. Caryl Phillips. University of Liège, Belgium. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www. ulg.ac.be/facphl/uer/d-german/L3/cpintro.html>
Yelin, Louise. „An Interview with Caryl Phillips.“ Culturefront Online Vol. 7, No. 2, Summer 1998. 19 Feb. 2000 <http://www.culturefront.org/culturefront/magazine/98/summer/article.10.htm>
2.4. Keith B. Richburg
Broder, Jonathan. „Out of Africa--Thank God.“ Salon, February 1997. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www. salon.com/feb97/news/news2970219.html>
Letters to the Editor. „The African Experience.“ Washington Post, 21 May 1995. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/richburg/reaction.html>
Press, Bob. „Richburg's Africa.“ The Journal of African Travel Writing, No. 3, Sept. 1997, pp. 93-95. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www.unc.edu/~ottotwo/Pressreview.html>
Puddington, Arch. „Cri de Coeur: Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa by Keith B. Richburg.“ Commentary Magazine, May 1997. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www.commentarymagazine. com/9705/books.html>
Richburg, Keith B. „Continental Divide: American in Africa.“ Washington Post, 26 March 1995. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/richburg/richbrg1.html and http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/richburg/richbrg2.html>
Roder, Wolf. „Richburg's Africa.“ The Journal of African Travel Writing, No. 3, Sept. 1997, pp. 92-93. 19 Feb. 2000. <http://www.unc.edu/~ottotwo/Roderreview.html>
2.5. Marlo Morgan
Burnum Burnum. „Burnum Burnum's Statement.“ Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation. 22 Feb. 2000. <http.//www.dumbartung.org.au/burnum.html>
Cunningham, Irene. „The Pendulum Swings for Cultural Rights.“ Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation. 22 Feb. 2000. <http.//www.dumbartung.org.au/irene.html>
Egginton, Robert. „Jangga Meenya Bomunggur (The Smell of the White Man Is Killing Us).“ Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation. 22 Feb. 2000. <http.//www.dumbartung.org.au/report0.html>
---. „Mutant Message Downunder Campaign.“ Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation. 22 Feb. 2000. <http.//www.dumbartung.org.au/report1.html>
---. „Bounuh Wongee 'Message Stick“ No. 2: A Report on Mutant Message Downunder.“ Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation. 22 Feb. 2000. <http.//www.dumbartung.org.au/report2.html>
---. „Bounuh Wongee 'Message Stick“ No. 3: A Report on Mutant Message Downunder.“ Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation. 22 Feb. 2000. <http.//www.dumbartung.org.au/report3.html>
---. „Marlo Morgan Campaign.“ Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation. 22 Feb. 2000. <http.//www. dumbartung.org.au/freedom.html>
Rogers, Toni. „Mutant Exposed.“ Department of Sociology, Macquarie University, 24 Feb. 1999. 22Feb. 2000. <http://www.mq.edu.au/hoa/marloweb/index.html>
Stanton, John E. „Marlo Morgan's Mutant Message Downunder: An Anthropological Perspective.“ Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation, 21 April 1995. 22 Feb. 2000. <http.//www.dumbartung.org.au/>
This page was created by Dominique Bediako on April 12, 2001.
It was last updated on September 26, 2001.
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© Dr. Dominique Bediako, formerly Lecturer (English Literature), Osnabrueck, Germany (now Lecturer in German, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda)