Examining the complex ethics of ethnographic research methods, this course explores a range of case studies on cultural practices, which are generally deemed deviant or taboo in the public sphere. It is from this angle of inquiry that students will confront the moral ambiguities of conducting ethnographic research in communities whose ideologies the anthropologist may disidentify or disagree with. For the purposes of this course, radicalism is conceived as a cultural practice motivated by an alternative ideological disposition that provokes anxiety and fear in the public sphere. This course also takes a reflexive look at mainstream anthropological theoretical frameworks such as Marxism, which are arguably considered to be radical in mainstream American and Western European political discourse. This begs the question—are the disciplines of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology politically radical institutions? Ethnographic case studies will also drive the research question—what historical, economic, and cultural circumstances create radicalized subjects? How can anthropologists ethically engage in participant observation with individuals who participate in acts that the researcher may find controversial, or even reprehensible? Can ethnographic research further the ideological agendas of our interlocutors? On the other hand, what types of radicalism can become understandable to ethnographers, ultimately informing the politics motivating anthropological writing?
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Max Jack