Politics and Practice in Critical Anthropology: The Work of Richard B. Lee: Introduction

Abstract

This volume is a modest offering of esteem and affection to Richard Lee in celebration of his work, his politics, his friendship, his enthusiasm and of the inspirational impact these have had on so many of us, not only those represented in this volume but on many others within and outside of the academy. The current issue developed out of a series of sessions organized by Christine Gailey and me for the 2001 joint meetings of the Canadian Anthropology Society, the American Ethnological Society and the Society for Cultural Anthropology in Montreal to mark Lee's impending retirement (2004) from the University of Toronto where he has been on the faculty since 1972 and where, in 1999, he was granted the prestigious position of University Professor. Thus this Festschrift does not signify the closure of a career, but rather a transition in which Lee will no doubt continue to collaborate with colleagues, mentor and train young anthropologists, conduct fieldwork, produce scholarly work and remain a political activist. In Gailey's words: In its original sense a Festschrift is a celebration in writing by people who have drawn on and grown to appreciate the work of a major figure, at a time when he or she can respond and contribute further to the discussions for which the honoree is so pivotal. For Richard Lee, this demands that writers address a range of issues and controversies that are far from concluded, areas of debate that point to the vitality of a four-fields approach in anthropology and long-term, socially engaged field research, with both agendas committed to redressing oppression. Only in such a way can we ensure that later generations will have an alternative view to seeing human nature as either a biological reflex or a narrow range of attributes serving a global imperium. (personal communication)Many of the papers were delivered in preliminary form at the 2001 conference and some have been added.(1) In addition, Gailey conducted an extensive interview with Lee in 2002; from this she has produced an intellectual biography that follows this introduction. Gailey provides a window into Lee's life enabling us to better understand and appreciate the array of factors and circumstances such as family, education, the radicalized political context of the 1960s and the anti-war movement that have shaped the direction of Lee's life's work. The articles in this volume, written for Lee, each touch upon one or more of the various theoretical, ethnographic and the political strands that run through his work and, more importantly, upon the ways in which these merge seamlessly in Lee's career (broadly conceived). The specific papers and their relation to Lee's oeuvre will be referred to below.Art, Science and PoliticsIn his important 1992 article, Art, Science, or Politics? The Crisis in Hunter-Gatherer Studies published in American Anthropologist, Lee evokes Snow's distinction between the supposedly irreconcilable humanistic and scientific academic subcultures. I wish to borrow and slightly twist Lee's title in order to suggest that his work and that of those with whom he collaborated in the Kalahari and elsewhere have sought to bridge the gulf explicit in Snow's dichotomy. Lee's work, in particular, not only embraces and effectively synthesizes both tendencies but it does so without getting lost in the singular logic of either or indulging in either's excesses. To Snow's distinction, I wish to add, as did Lee, politics. Lee's commitment to social justice, to a politically engaged anthropology, and to activism within and outside of the academy have been consistent hallmarks of his work and practice. In different ways, the majority of the articles in this volume reflect these ideals and practices.Lee's unwavering resolve to understand the nature of human equality and to strive towards its realization underlie his political praxis. The optimism inherent in this position does not spring from naivete but rather from a mature and seasoned realism that endures despite the difficult times and challenging moments that Lee has encountered (see Gailey, this volume). …