Culture & truth: The remaking of social analysis [Paperback]

Renato Rosaldo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1989

Exposing the inadequacies of old conceptions of static cultures and detached observers, the book argues instead for social science to acknowledge and celebrate diversity, narrative, emotion, and subjectivity.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This work introduces readers to an array of contemporary anthropological theories and the debates on the validity of "classical" ethnographies, based presumably on detached observation. Using his own personal experience of grief as a vehicle to understand the intensity of Ilongot sentiments (particularly about headhunting), Rosaldo argues that most ethnographies have eliminated personal emotions and thus distorted and misinterpreted not only descriptions but also the key to analytical and explanatory modes. As a "positioned subject," the ethnographer brings his or her unique "angle of vision" into the field, as do the ethnographer's informants. The "translation of cultures" is a complex, fluid process between "ethnographers and natives." Written in a manner both accessible and compelling, this will be of interest to anthropologists as well as to informed nonspecialists; a wonderful addition to the growing body of critical anthropological literature.-- Winifred Lambrecht, Brown Univ. , Providence, R.I. correction: Diane Tong's Gypsy Folk tales, reviewed in LJ 4/15/89, costs $19.95, not $21.95, as the review stated.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Rosaldo is a Beacon Press author. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; First Edition edition (1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807046086
• ISBN-13: 978-0807046081
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,023,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking. Could be a bit more concise., July 11, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture & Truth: The Remaking of Social Analysis (Paperback)

I read this book as part of a cultural anthropology correspondence course through the University of California, Berkeley in 1997-98.

The book contains many important ideas. For example, chapter three on imperialist nostalgia is a must-read for anybody who wants to understand the underpinnings of Western attitudes toward other cultures. Very eye-opening.

There are other important ideas throughout the book. The tone of the book is scholarly and a bit labored. It took me more than a little discipline to finish the book. I don't fault Rosaldo for this; the blame goes to the editor. This book is important and needs a light to moderate developmental edit to make it accessible to its audience.

Rosaldo has made a very important contribution to cross-cultural understanding.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Example of Postmodernism, May 25, 2006

By 

Obladidi (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture & Truth: The Remaking of Social Analysis (Paperback)

I had to read this book for an anthropological theories course but it's the kind of book I can always come back to when I think anthropology is getting too full of itself. This book is very easy to read. Rosaldo uses a semi-conversational tone that makes the reader an accomplice of his studies. In true postmodernist form, his study of the head hunting ritual of the Philippino Ilongots takes on personal interpretations that are shaped by the loss of his wife.

Trying to reconcile his personal loss with the controversial study of a murder ritual make for an important ethnographic approach that should be an essential read for anyone who observes cultures and tries to understand them within their personal terms.