Anthropology

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how sociocultural anthropology has not seen significant theoretical changes in the last few decades. It explains that poststructuralist and postmodern theoretical approaches are providing researchers, both in the archives and in the field, new methodologies and resources with which to work. The author mentions that some of the techniques might seem relatively staid and traditional, however, the new focus on these methods has given them a new critical light and allowed anthropologists to interpret and reinterpret their work and the methods that they employ.

From the Paper:

"The influence of postmodern critical approaches to academic disciplines has not left sociocultural anthropology unscathed. While sociocultural anthropology has not seen significant theoretical changes in the last few decades, poststructuralist and postmodern theoretical approaches are providing researchers both in the archives and in the field new methodologies and resources with which to work. Some of the techniques might seem relatively staid and traditional; however, the new focus on these methods has given them a new critical light and allowed anthropologists to interpret and reinterpret their work and the methods that they employ. One of the most interesting methods that has become popular in recent years in sociocultural anthropology is the life history. The new importance of life histories has stressed the ways in which postmodernism has imbued the social sciences with a fresh look at the way in which human agency interacts with cultural institutions ..."

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