Writing culture and the life of anthropology /

After its 1986 publication, the original Writing Culture (CH, Oct'86), edited by James Clifford and George Marcus, quickly became a central text in anthropology. Whether one agreed with its arguments or questioned whether it was truly as "new" as it was proclaimed, it was both a part of and an icon for the changes that many saw in how anthropology was conceived of in that period. Just as the original volume came out of a group discussion, this new volume came from a conference and discussions around the original book's 25th anniversary. The new volume includes contributions by original participants and by scholars who "came of age" in the discipline during the height of Writing Culture's influence. Some contributors comment on the original directly; others write from its ways of thinking about how anthropologists represent humanity. This volume largely ignores the vitriol, and perhaps some of the excesses, that flowed around the original, instead focusing on how the issues of writing and constructing narratives affect scholarship. Although still largely missing some key critiques (e.g., indigenous perspectives), this volume will interest those curious about what anthropology--or at least a strong current within it--means in the 21st century. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. --Frederic W. Gleach, Cornell University