Abstract
Recent decades have seen a proliferation of works in anthropology which refer to matters of ontology. They reflect anthropological concerns with the nature of being and reality, and at the same time critically review the boundaries and categories of Western modernity. Yet to what extent have these ontological anthropologies interrogated or transformed fundamental anthropological concepts such as culture, difference, materiality, alterity, comparison or ethnography? This article offers an overview of the key theoretical and methodological contributions of ontological anthropologies (both conceptual versions, such as the so called «ontological turn», and more ontic versions), with respect to issues which include the notion of radical alterity, the return to animism, the idea of symmetrical anthropology or the methodological proposals of recursivity and controlled equivocation. At the same time, the paper outlines the main debates which have emerged in our discipline as a result of this opening up to ontological matters, such as the discussions around the nature-culture dichotomy, the frontiers of alterity, the nature of reality, and the reach of ontologically informed political programmes.
Highlights
Las últimas dos décadas han supuesto una eclosión de trabajos académicos relacionados directa o indirectamente con cuestiones de ontología
Recent decades have seen a proliferation of works in anthropology which refer to matters of ontology
To what extent have these ontological anthropologies interrogated or transformed fundamental anthropological concepts such as culture, difference, materiality, alterity, comparison or ethnography? This article offers an overview of the key theoretical and methodological contributions of ontological anthropologies, with respect to issues which include the notion of radical alterity, the return to animism, the idea of symmetrical anthropology or the methodological proposals of recursivity and controlled equivocation
Summary
Recent decades have seen a proliferation of works in anthropology which refer to matters of ontology. Encontramos una versión más óntica, que emerge al calor de los estudios de ciencia, tecnología y sociedad (CTS; STS por sus siglas en inglés), y que aspira a dar cuenta de seres, entidades y procesos excluidos del proyecto humanista en el que estaban inmersas tanto la antropología como otras ciencias sociales. Encontramos una versión más conceptual, ligada a las preocupaciones de la disciplina antropológica, y que reivindica la alteridad y el pensamiento «otro» como motores para la apertura ontológica y la revisión de principios y axiomas propios del naturalismo occidental. En una segunda parte abordaremos los debates suscitados en el seno de nuestra disciplina por dichas propuestas, y perfilaremos brevemente discusiones y críticas sobre la consideración de la dicotomía entre naturaleza y cultura, el alcance de la diferencia, la naturaleza de la realidad, y el programa político propuesto por la visiones ontológicas de la antropología
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
