Description:
How do anthropologists write their texts? What is the nature of creativity in the discipline of anthropology? This book follows anthropologists into spaces where words, ideas and arguments take shape, exploring the steps in a creative process. In a unique examination of how texts come to be composed, a distinguished group of anthropologists offer valuable insight into their writing habits. These reflexive glimpses into personal creativity reveal not only the processes by which theory and ethnography come to be represented on the page, but also supply examples that students may follow or adapt. Essential reading for all students embarking on enthnographical writing.
Review Quotes:
"This collected volume is so needed and is such a gift. It is simply a collection of 'making' texts, examining creative practices of 'composition'. This is the space in which the diverse stakes and difficulties of moving from notes to texts can be opened for discussion."
George Marcus, University of California, Irvine, USA
Andrew Irving, University of Manchester, UK
"The book is advertised as a methodological tool for students of anthropology as well as a theoretical and practical exploration of creativity for professional readers. For me, it is much more than that. It is a reflection on both the universality and individuality of the writing experience. It shines a light on writing practices that are often personal. It illustrates the unity and diversity of the writing experience as well as the individual but universal nature of humanity itself. There are no conclusions - except to say that the volume has relevance well beyond the field of anthropology. It is a reflective text for all academics who move from their 'ivory towers' into the real world and back again to pen their observations. . ." Máiréad Nic Craith, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh