Académique Documents
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Culture Documents
Ravina Aggarwal
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 571, Feminist Views of the
Social Sciences. (Sep., 2000), pp. 14-29.
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Tue Mar 11 02:27:12 2008
ANNALS, AAPSS, 571, September 2000
By RAVINA AGGARWAL
artificial field areas in order to for- that are often given a feminine con-
ward its own agenda, attributing notation are not inert psychological
exotic, abstract essences and charac- states but products of culture (Lutz
teristics to places and then naturaliz- 1990). Still others have contended
ing them so that the residents of that the performance of motherhood
those places come to be regarded as and other kinship roles is linked to
static, immobile "natives" (Appa- ways in which women's bodies are
durai 1988). As a corrective to the controlled by colonialism and indus-
dangers of generalization that the trial capitalism (Scheper-Hughes
concept of culture has generated, 1992). These interpretations of the
Lila Abu-Lughod (1991) makes a body can prove useful for administer-
case for "writing against culture" and ing gender-sensitive public health
for grounding ethnography in the policies and countering misogynist
particular contingencies of women's and homophobic opinions that make
lived experience instead. She argues power differentials seem normal.
that with the transnational move- Feminist anthropologists argue
ment of immigrants and travelers, that cultural agents do not merely
anthropology is increasingly being reproduce but also resist forms of
practiced by those with refracted, domination in everyday acts. This
'%alfieVidentities who are forcing it has been a meaningful revision to
to reconsider seemingly clear-cut standard depictions of women as
disjunctions between self and other apolitical, private, and incapable of
(Abu-Lughod 1990). That feminist public policymaking (Abu-Lughod
rapport cannot be presupposed due 1991). Moreover, the renewed atten-
to the existence of a common nation- tion to homework has contributed to
ality, race, or sexual orientation has deliberations on alternate forms of
also been discussed by Narayan kinship (Trawick 1990; Weston
(1993), Page (1988), and Lewin 1991),reproductive rights (Ginsberg
(1995, 322-35). In the wake of these 1989; Strathern 1992), and state
appraisals, feminists have cam- sponsorship of discriminatory proce-
paigned for the creation of new dures in military organizations
anthropological locations by explor- (Enloe 1990). Writing against cul-
ing their own locatedness in domi- ture has opened avenues for tying
nant sites. local practices to transnational
By locating the body as a histori- movements (Tsing 1993), for expos-
cally and socially constructed arena, ing the plight and resistance maneu-
feminists have condemned both bio- vers of women laborers in multina-
logical determinism and the hierar- tional corporations (Ong 1987), and
chical split between mind and matter for highlighting the inequities of
posited by modern rationalist sci- travel and global capitalism (Enloe
ence. They have lobbied for the era- 1990).
sure of negative values assigned by Feminist anthropology has come a
science to bodily characteristics that long way since the Women's Anthro-
are considered female (Martin 1987); pological Society was first started in
others have argued that emotions 1885 as a corollary to the Anthro-
FEMINIST ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY 21
novels to return the gaze and unveil to others in Iran, to be further carried
the discriminatory politics and prac- and read by those of us who live in
tices of academic institutions. other parts of the world.
Not all feminists, however, have Even as ethnographies in the
chosen reflexive genres to express 1980s and 1990s were being restruc-
themselves. For instance, Erika tured and were reaching out beyond
Friedl's Women of Deh Koh (1989), conventional doctrinal terrains to
which is presented with the stated convey with vivid sensuality the
objective of writing stories of women experiences of fieldwork and to stave
and not about them, attempts to off charges of being dull and boring,
draw the readers into the experience commentaries by literary critics and
and meaning of life in an Iranian vil- works of feminist literature were
lage, away from the stereotypical trickling in through once resistant
representations about the tedium disciplinary borders. Maxine Hong
and toil of people who live in isolated Kingston's Woman Warrior (1976),
mountainous communities and away Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes
from the depictions of rural women Were Watching God (1937), and This
as subordinate, oppressed, and igno- Bridge Called My Back (1981),edited
rant, with little or no control over by Cherrie Moraga a n d Gloria
their lives. Her collection of 12 short Anzaldua, were being absorbed in
stories, based on several years of anthropology courses. Outlining and
fieldwork, are presented from the defining feminist ethnography in
point of view of the women she 1988, K a m a l a Visweswaran
encountered. The voice of the ethnog- o b s e ~ e dthat "experimental ethnog-
rapher does not impose upon the raphy has been strangely reluctant
text, although it is hinted at. In one of to embrace other forms of writing,
the most powerful examples of like the novel, short story, diary, or
ethnographic writing, a narrative autobiography" and asked, "At a time
entitled "Mamlaus Is Telling a when literary critics read such texts
Story,"the author's presence is made as expressive culture, why can't
manifest as one of the listeners and anthropologists?" (39).
even one of the fabricators of cultural Accordingly, a decade after Writ-
stories. Fried1 skillfully crafts con- ing Culture heralded the onset of a
ventional plot props-a stormy new ethnographic focus, the publica-
night, a social gathering around a tion of Women Writing Culture,
warm kitchen fire, and talk of der- edited by Ruth Behar and Deborah
vishes and demons-to negotiate Gordon (1995), paved the way for a
lines between history and legend, to distinct literary and political path for
r e c o u n t a n d d e b a t e local a n d anthropology. While Writing Culture
national political histories, and to was often accused ofremaining at the
probe the conventions of morality level of ideological manual, espous-
and justice. Truth and lies are both ing experimental writing in theory
prevalent in the composition of real- rather t h a n truly embracing it,
ity, the tale suggests, and words from Women Writing Culture consciously
the mouths of women are passed on strove to show t h a t theory and
24 THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY
Hurston, Zora Neal. 1937. Their Eyes . 1994. Love, Stars and All That.
Were Watching God:ANovel. Philadel- New York: Pocket Books.
phia: J. B. Lippincott. Ong, Aihwa. 1987. Spirits of Resistance
Kingston, Maxine Hong. 1976. The and Capitalist Discipline: Factory
Woman Warrior:Memoir of a Girlhood Women in Malaysia. Albany: State
Among Ghosts. New York: Knopf. University o f New York Press.
Kondo, Dorinne. 1995. Bad Girls: The- Page, Helan. 1988. Dialogical Principles
ater, Women of Color, and the Politics o f Interactive Learning i n t h e
o f Representation. In Women Writing Ethnographic Relationship. Journal
Culture, ed. Ruth Behar and Deborah of Anthropological Research 44(2):
Gordon. Berkeley: University of Cali- 163-81.
fornia Press. Rapp, Rayna, ed. 1975. Toward a n An-
Landes, Ruth. 1938. The Ojibwa Woman. thropology of Women. New Y o r k :
New York: Columbia University Monthly Review Press.
Press. Rosaldo, Michelle. 1980. T h e U s e and
Lewin, Ellen. 1995. Writing Lesbian Eth- Abuse of Anthropology: Reflections on
nography. In Women Writing Culture, Feminism and Cross-Cultural Under-
ed. Ruth Behar and Deborah Gordon. standings. Signs 5(Spring):389-417.
Berkeley: University o f California Rosaldo, Michelle and Louise Lamphere,
Press. eds. 1974. Women, Culture and Soci-
Lurie, Nancy. 1966. W o m e n i n Early ety. Stanford: Stanford University
American Anthropology. In Pioneers of Press.
American Anthropology, e d . June Sanday, Peggy. 1992. Fraternity Gang
Helm. Seattle: University o f Washing- Rape: Sex, Brotherhood, and Privilege
ton Press. on Campus. New York:New York Uni-
Lutz, Catherine. 1990. Engendered Emo- versity Press.
tion: Gender, Power, and the Rhetoric Scheper-Hughes, Nancy. 1992. Death
of Emotional Control in American Dis- Without Weeping. Berkeley: Univer-
course. In Language and the Politics of sity o f California Press.
Emotion, ed. Lila Abu-Lughod and Shostak, Marjorie. 1981. Nisa: The Life
Catherine Lutz. New Y o r k : Cam- and Words of a !Kung Woman. Cam-
bridge University Press. bridge, MA: Harvard U n i v e r s i t y
Martin, Emily. 1987. The Woman in the Press.
Body: A Cultural Analysis of Repro- Sistren with Honor Ford-Smith. 1987.
duction. Boston: Beacon Press. Lionheart Gal: Lifestories of Jamai-
Mascia-Lees, Frances, Patricia Sharpe, can Women. Toronto: Sister Vision.
and C o l l e e n C o h e n . 1 9 8 9 . T h e Stacey, Judith. 1988. Can There Be a
Postmodern T u r n i n Anthropology: Feminist Ethnography? Women's
Cautions from a Feminist Perspective. Studies International Forum
Signs 15(1):7-33. 11(1):21-27.
Moraga, Cherrie and Gloria Anzaldua. Strathern, Marilyn. 1987. An Awkward
1981. This Bridge Called My Back: Relationship: T h e Case o f Feminism
Writings by Radical Women of Color. and Anthropology. Signs 12(2):276-92.
Watertown, MA: Persephone Press. . 1992. After Nature: English Kin-
Narayan, Kirin. 1993. How Native Is a ship in the Late n e n t i e t h Century.
"Nativen Anthropologist? American New Y o r k : Cambridge U n i v e r s i t y
Anthropologist 95(3):671-86. Press.
FEMINISTANTHROPOLOGY TODAY
29
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