Wisdom from the Edge: Writing Ethnography in Turbulent Times

by Paul Stoller

Overview

Wisdom From the Edge describes what anthropologists can do to contribute to the social and cultural changes that shape a social future of wellbeing and viability. Paul Stoller shows how anthropologists can develop sensuously described ethnographic narratives to communicate powerfully their insights to a wide range of audiences. These insights are filled with wisdom about how respect for nature is central to the future of humankind. Stoller demonstrates how the ethnographic evocation of space and place, the honing of dialogue, and the crafting of character depict the drama of social life, and borrows techniques from film, poetry, and fiction to expand the appeal of anthropological knowledge and heighten its ability to connect the public to the idiosyncrasies of people and locale. Ultimately, Wisdom from the Edge underscores the importance of recognizing and applying indigenous wisdom to the social problems that threaten the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501770654
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	08/15/2023
Series:	Expertise: Cultures and Technologies of Knowledge
Pages:	204
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Paul Stoller is Professor of Anthropology at West Chester University and Permanent Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Friedrich Alexander University/Erlangen-Nuremberg. He is the author of fifteen books and, in 2013, was awarded the Anders Retzius Gold Medal in Anthropology by the King of Sweden.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Writing Ethnography in Turbulent Times
Part I: The Senses in Artful Ethnography
1. Imaging Knowledge: Artful Vision in Slow Research
2. In the Shade of the Jujube Tree
3. Sensory Dimensions of Spirit Possession
4. Tasting Harmony in the World
Part II: The Wisdom of the Elders
5. Peripheral Knowledge and the Imponderables of the Between
6. Th e World According to Rouch
7. Wisdom from the Edge of the Village
Coda

What People are Saying About This

Alisse Waterston

Paul Stoller practices what he preaches about storytelling in narrative ethnography and this book is a testament to his devotion to writing evocatively. Readers will walk away from this book newly energized and with a strong sense that anthropologists have, can and will write beautiful, powerful stories.

Fiona Murphy

This wonderful book moved me to tears. In elegant prose, Stoller pushes the reader to engage, to know more, to inhabit the weave of ethnography, theory, and thinking about writing in troubled times. It offers a much-needed and inspiring vision of our world.