Pulling the Right Threads

Laura Zimmer-Tamakoshi is a research associate in anthropology and cofounder of the Owl Network at Bryn Mawr College. Jeanette Dickerson-Putman is an associate professor in the department of anthropology at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis.

“A celebration (and defence) of ethnography as the essence of anthropology. . . . This volume certainly speaks to a monumental ‘legacy.’”--Anthropological Forum "Debate in anthropology over the role of ethnographic research and writing has been fierce over the past two decades, calling into question the legitimacy of anthropological reportage and its representation of exotic (and not so exotic) societies. This collection, by examining the life work of an outstanding contemporary ethnographer and the legacy that she has created through the work of those she has trained, renews this lively debate. The contributors are unanimous in their commitment to the ethnographic enterprise and clear in their confrontation with those who decry it. This book will stir the best kind of anthropological argument, and that is in and of itself a significant contribution."--David Counts, professor emeritus, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, and adjunct professor of anthropology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan.

• Acknowledgments   viiIntroduction   1LAURA ZIMMER-TAMAKOSHI1. An Ethnographic Life   27 JEANETTE DICKERSON-PUTMAN 2. Pulling the Right Thread   44 MICHELE DOMINY 3. It's Not about Women Only   56 LAURA ZIMMER-TAMAKOSHI 4. "Every Action Is a Human Interaction"   77 MIRIAM KAHN 5. Remember Malinowski's Canoe and Luk Luk Gen   92 PAMELA SHEFFIELD ROSI 6. Ethics of Attention   110 DEBORAH BIRD ROSE 7. The Squabbling Stops When Everybody Wins   123 MICHAEL D. LIEBER 8. From Pig Lunch to Praxis   137 JOY A. BILHARZ 9. Separation and Support, Conflict and Romance in the Relations between Sikaiana Men and Women   149 WILLIAM W. DONNER 10. Indigenous Religion in an Intercultural Space   168 ERIC VENBRUX 11. Food and Ghosts: Dance in the Context of Baining Life   187 JANE FAJANS Conclusion: What Is Ethnography? Is It Real?   209 JANE C. GOODALE References   227Contributors   247Index   253