Ethnographic text formation processes

Abstract

Although the textualist critique of ethnography has challenged the possibility of science in cultural anthropology, insights provided by that critique are crucial for the further development of a scientific approach in the discipline. The value of the textualist critique of ethnography for the development of scientific ethnology can best be seen through an analogy with archaeology. Just as archaeologists' ability to reconstruct the past has been enhanced, not undermined, by a detailed understanding of archaeological site formation processes, so can ethnologists' ability to understand patterns within and among human societies be enhanced through a better understanding of ethnographic text formation processes. Key elements of the textualist critique of ethnography, including an emphasis on reflexivity, multivocality, and the process of writing ethnography, are great aids in the elucidation of ethnographic text formation processes.