Anthropology in a New Era: A Conjunctural Assessment

Authors

  • João Pina-Cabral University of Lisbon Autor

Abstract

The conditions for the practice of anthropology as a social science in Europe have again changed considerably since the beginning of the new century. In this paper I was asked to make an assessment of what are the contemporary conjunctural constraints that mould our practice as anthropologists. I start by considering the political environment that frames our institutional practices on opposite sides of Europe. Then I go on to propose that we need to be more explicit about the slow and silent erosion of the background assumptions that used to underly our anthropological thinking throughout the twentieth century. I propose that, both in methodological and theoretical terms, we are facing today a new anthropological synthesis—using this last word to refer to the broader analytical parameters that frame our discipline.

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Published

2023-12-10

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How to Cite

Anthropology in a New Era: A Conjunctural Assessment. (2023). Cargo Journal, 21(2), 5-21. http://www.cargojournal.org/index.php/cargo/article/view/8