Description
This book explores considerations of method in the field of political anthropology, contending that this constitutes a distinct approach within the broader area of the human, social and political sciences. Faithful to the basic guiding ideas of anthropology, it nonetheless challenges and rejects the pretended stance of scientific neutrality and advances a position that engages with the notion of participation, recognising its value and arguing that participation is essential to the development of a proper social and political understanding. An outline of what political anthropology can offer by way of methods, this invitation to consider the development of methodological ideas beyond the presumed ‘scientific’ and ‘universalistic’ approaches that dominate in the social sciences will appeal to scholars of anthropology, sociology and politics with interests in questions of method and methodology.
Table of Contents
PART 1: The Meaning of Method
1. What is a method? And a methodology?
2. The importance of participation
3. Participation on the road
PART 2: The Troubles with Scientific Methodology
4. The absurdity of a scientific method
5. Some matters of historical context
6. The idols of scientific methodology
PART 3: Some Methods of Political Anthropology
7. Words
8. Images
9. Understanding through authors
10. Understanding through novels
11. Historical methods
12. Anthropological methods
Conclusion
