Through the Lens : Possibility of the Visual in Anthropology

レンズ オ トオシテ ジンルイガク ニオケル エイゾウ ノ カノウセイ

コサカ, アヤコ

Kosaka, Ayako

オオサカ ダイガク ダイガクイン ニンゲン カガク ケンキュウカ シャカイガク ニンゲンガク ジンルイガク ケンキュウシツ

Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

英語

民族誌的記述

映像

人類学の一般化

感情

Visual anthropology

Ethnographic description

Visual

Popularizing anthropology

Emotion

In anthropology,the visual has been treated merely as documents or illustration in ethnography and regarded as the best device for preserving culture. My intention in this essay is to suggest the other important role of the visual in anthropology. I think that the most important feature of the visual is that it can capture something difficult to describe. Emotions are what I treat as something difficult to describe : The interpretative approach which is influenced by Geertz, describes emotions in ethnography. By featuring this approach, firstly,I discuss that anthropologists produce misinterpretation of informants'emotions, and how their misinterpretation can be reduced. I present the visual as the most effective device for reducing misinterpretation in ethnography. Most ethnography is found in description. The visual has two advantages over description. The first advantage of the visual is its ability to present what we do not interpret to an audience. The second advantage is its ability to transcend cultural boundaries, such as language and historical background. Because of the above two advantages, the visual can give information to not only anthropologists, but also people who is not interested in anthropology. I discuss, secondly, how the visual contributes toward popularizing anthropology.

英語