Reversed Gaze: An African Ethnography of American Anthropology (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780252077692)

Deftly illustrating how life circumstances can influence ethnographic fieldwork, Mwenda Ntarangwi focuses on his experiences as a Kenyan anthropology student and professional anthropologist practicing in the United States and Africa. Whereas Western anthropologists often study non-Western cultures, Mwenda Ntarangwi reverses these common roles and studies the Western culture of anthropology from an outsider's viewpoint while considering larger debates about race, class, power, and the representation of the "other." Tracing his own immersion into American anthropology, Ntarangwi identifies textbooks, ethnographies, coursework, professional meetings, and feedback from colleagues and mentors that were key to his development. Reversed Gaze enters into a growing anthropological conversation on representation and self-reflexivity that ethnographers have come to regard as standard anthropological practice, opening up new dialogues in the field by allowing anthropologists to see the role played by subjective positions in shaping knowledge production and consumption. Recognizing the cultural and racial biases that shape anthropological study, this book reveals the potential for diverse participation and more democratic decision making in the identity and process of the profession.

Author: Mwenda Ntarangwi
ISBN-10: 0252077695
ISBN-13: 9780252077692
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Language: English
Published: 11/01/2010
Pages: 176
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.60d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2011
Reference and Research Bk News 04/01/2011 pg. 68