Terms of engagement

Anthropology is nothing if it not a particular way of describing the world. Yet what most precious to – terms and concepts that mark as discipline can also be tricky. When resurgent boundaries exclusions twist truth telling faking in any which way, anthropology might find new urgency thinking about conceptual life tries express. How engages has always depended on (attention to) how are used, something shared with those who people its subject matter. Critical attention never been more important. An exploration into colourings resonances diverse verbal usages, old new, points moments where language works both us against us. Indeed supports for xenophobia like may embedded least expected. Out all, lecture imagines future anthropological exposition. There could no better place start than EASA's many-languaged company. L'anthropologie n'est rien si ce n’est une manière particulière de décrire le monde. Pourtant, qu’elle plus précieux les termes et qui la distinguent en tant que est parfois extrêmement complexe. Alors résurgence des frontières déforment récits vérité contrefaçons toutes manières possibles, il serait urgent l’anthropologie réfléchisse à vie conceptuelle qu'elle tente d'exprimer. La dont elle s'engage toujours dépendu (l'attention portée à) sont utilisés, commun avec acteurs au sein thèmes abordés. vigilance critique n'a jamais été aussi importante. L’examen teintes résonances divers usages verbaux, anciens nouveaux, révèle où langage agit fois nous contre nous. En effet, un soutien xénophobie d’autres phénomènes du genre peuvent se trouver là l'on s'y attend moins. Sur cette base, cet article envisage avenir pour exposés anthropologiques. Quel meilleur endroit commencer qu’au communauté multilingue EASA. Understanding all relations, separations, same going crucial over next few years. (Green 2017: 531) 10 April 2020. The event by itself seemed nothing: BBC programme, ‘on frontline medical scientific fightback’, Covid-19. Descriptions virus, eye-watering visuals, accompanied narrative possible links wildlife markets, city-size bat populations viral mutation encouraged intensive farming. It then switched statistics reproduction speed-up. Only fleetingly mentioned was different countries acted, presumably being part science, although surely pandemic (Latour 2020: 2).It was, however, noted South Korea, prepared SARS, relying mass testing. illuminating looking back: programme referred tests several times, planting suspicion UK’s restricted testing only recording 5–10% cases. Some scientists have less reticent saying Westminster government learning from experience elsewhere. On news very morning government, ministerial person Secretary State Health, effect boasted just that. Hancock quizzed British Medical Association stating once again they did enough personal protective equipment (PPE). biggest death toll so far announced. He pressed some admission responsibility. interviewer stark: lives unnecessarily lost. freely admitted his brief look after people’s lives. he then, repeatedly, asserted variations ‘We must take we at now’. Where were now farce equipment, but acting WHO advice And this absurd affair PPE, explicitly said should grasp matters dwell past. line between premature accountability previous actions fine one; an acknowledgement past problems would signal there learn. ‘Let’s here’: All Europe lockdown, many heard first glorious moment when balconies Milan spilled music. Lockdown music had already become colleague Leiden sent me zoomed performance Rotterdam Philharmonic. 11 April, played short piece two musical families happened next-door neighbours Cardiff, hailing National Orchestra Wales, Chamber Europe, Irish Welsh Opera. European makers acted out their constrained circumstances, neither denying nor overcoming restrictions showing possible. Theirs critical intervention, address conditions or lockdown. incidentally demonstrated power learning, old. Their houses back gardens, running them fence hole. hole enabled Cardiff players adapt rehearsal, keep distance while hearing one another, enabling draw disciplines performance. Giving online felt, occasion, talking through fence. I wanted diversity social anthropology, aspect own without feeling cumulative expertise rendered irrelevant current events, applied musicians. Those media episodes: relating adds dimension each. Hardly unusual kind relation everyone makes time joining up bits universe otherwise seem disparate. This course ‘science’ portrayed, linking virus leaping across species animal-rearing practices speed reproduction. separation another point view, anthropologist say, such knowledge separated other issues, Minister himself immediate That said, made suspicious turn Minister’s insistence everything done. One commentator (Matharu 2020) UK governmental Coronavirus briefings borrowed Russian anthropologist’s (Yurchak 2005) term fake normality, ‘hypernormalisation’: they’re lying, know lying. Whether link separate, making relations stuff criticism; equally suspicion, rebounds suspicious. For much reveal immediately apparent, pointing externalities unaccounted implications thereby extending questions responsibility, hazardous. Writers thinkers beware! is, generally, central writers expound things. guarantee simply because will either truthful helpful, English language, least, essential Exposition implies getting reader listener understand, drawn help form explained analysed, argued omitted. issue routine TV programmer minister defensive. Practices exposition normally open academic argument; familiar categories, description, analysis theory, anthropologists operationalise contest another’s languages. At time, these else. drawing assumptions, colourings, connotations, sentiments, dogmas, forth, patchily applicable idiosyncratically heard, work rhetorical effects unseen. Completely unsurprising. But means here, too, engage materials sometimes intentions them. interesting think hazard multi-lingual Especially good reason habits weaves make engagement terms. rules deal imagine world, contribute general grounds engagement. Engagement ever-present preoccupation anthropology. Indeed, insofar inevitably grounded someone’s ‘real world’, collective concern respect interlocutors. Thus, despite innumerable controversies contestations, unspoken rule thumb fallback courtesy until respecting colleagues’ ‘ethnographic’ reporting. anthropologist, grounding position trust does apply ethnographers’ methods motivations entails suspension disbelief whatever real world ethnographers themselves in. Additionally, beyond modes theory readily scrutiny, put disciplinary rests condition initial trust, matter wider currency ‘trust’ has. After perspective collusion widespread taken-for-granted knowledge-making fall under suspicion. Decolonising curriculum case. Insofar call decolonise anthropology-as-usual reappraises important, whom, mistrust order underline urge others.1 Taken alone, phrase ‘terms engagement’ often ring mutuality it. carry assumption agreement prevail, contracts military protocols. diverge: game (say) play. Parties seemingly control still according rules. moot involved talk Procedures obtaining consent, instance, variously serve institutional insurance, deal, tokens encompassing respect. In event, concerned, unfolding unpredictability relations. From forced migration gender inequality climate change, sorts among discipline’s practitioners supposes fit embrace events public issues. late 2016, chance synchronised overviews engagement, labelled thus. deployed well-tried mode deliberation post-truth era.A workshop held Germany laid collection essays defrauding faking, published (EASA’s) journal (Beek al. 2019). Through largely African countries, set comparative agenda theoretical interest. Social Anthropology’s editors observed worldwide antiquity novelty theme. Trickery hardly yet reach: cases invariably transnational. They began story US embassy Ghana selling forged visas, further scam existed. Amid speculations fabricated it, Beek ‘multi-layeredness exemplified loss authenticity deterioration institutions symbols reliable’ (2019: 425). Calling fraud shortcut uncertainties kinds. If Ghanaian non-scam spread deliberate confusion, spreading generalised mistrust. contemporary concerns stimulated namely ethnographic enterprise. Evident specific situations evinced extent which, interests fraud, exploited regenerated. convenors took object enquiry: ‘studying necessarily study authenticating, produce underlying distinctions genuine fraudulent’ 2019: 427). Hence, money-making schemes aberrations phases business cycles capitalist economies. Bürge described Sierra Leonean money-doubler, acute skills observation, whose stunning ‘brought brink [but further] believing entrusting him money’ 461). ethnographer’s readiness enter game, respective money circulated degrees material hardship trickster trickster’s usual clients. About mobilisation afoot. American Anthropologist seeking quick, turn-around commentaries ‘What do done’, case ‘Nativism, nationalism xenophobia’ (Dominguez Metzner 2017). request phrased resist respond protectionist movements regimes live. Identifying racist, xenophobic nationalist thing; contributors asked judged conduct life. With audiences effectively engage? question raised head scholarship regardless content fell A remark India (Ganguly 527) anywhere: ‘right-wing … highly intellectual pursuits general’. Aside censorship suppression criticism, swing view apparatus argument (evidence, analysis) regarded enmity. Epistemology remains scholar’s principal tools. Buchowski (2017: 521) pointed invented stories suffering immigration mobilising ‘postfact’ paradigm rhetoric. Political flourishing disinformation new. utterances propagated dismissed intent deceive? imputation (personal, material) drive everything. parliamentarians lying suspected partisan and/or dismiss fake, lies everywhere grounded. So you speaker, Trust even required. lie disrupts promoting one’s own. second focused professional dangers facing 519). Contributors highlighted erosion safe spaces precarity educational research institutions. Instead, (they ‘vested interests’) led de-activation Brazilian Indian Foundation (FUNAI) (Rial Grossi 2017) perversion, thus attrition milieux providing locales criticism. reflect anthropologists’ institutions, EASA AAA, conditional places meeting publishing. when, prompted xenophobia, AAA support, 25 bodies mounted special convention Polish ethnologists anthropologists, able ‘swim current’ (Buchowski While resulting manifesto itself, things said. Perelman, reflecting Argentinian University Graduates Anthropology, wrote institutes departments, well action, ‘constantly working growth repressive politics [including] persecution’ 533, 534). Anthropological associations tiny signs precariousness kinds, including administrative organs parliamentary protocol. Often ‘voice’ ‘will’ 521; Weale 2018), rhetoric flourishes qualifications colleagues wish bring ethnographer, shaped Enlightenment, revolution so-called. method. techniques verification proof built instruments investigation, taken practitioners’ hands. Left hands remained credibility person, latterly expressed qualification publication profile. Specialised forms scholarly came flourish alongside. included doubt, ignorance spurs efforts study, discourses ameliorative intent, though indistinguishable venomous mindless attack. Everything rests, indeed, writer meet text question. Think ethnographer investigating scams [my term] senses thrown awry clever scheme.For certain modern default position, distinguishing others (friend enemy), little persons (‘all politicians liars’) invested instituted systems reliance conventions of, local banking. Of course, institutionalisation finds critics too. Frequently voiced criticism bureaucratic detail accountability, regulations beat sciences, building avoidance protocols creates fresh arenas measurements indicators.2 Rather using deceive someone, money-doubler duped unwary, auditors generate combating threats system; ask deceiving whom. Suppose position. High Atlas Morocco, where, happens, apparently key nonetheless institutions.3 Among men, friendship predicated trust: instrumentalism Axiomatically, ‘everybody exception untrustworthy’ (Carey 79). consequence men lied intending deceive: plausible falsehoods deceived no-one. respect, Carey observed, situation resembled pre-commercial society imagined Scottish before anonymous self-interest market became disinterest friends. Backing off coercion, speculating minds others, valued autonomy egalitarianism contingent realpolitik, ideological project. Pitfalls awaited fieldworker hoped build trust. Carey’s participation sought (affording assistance, doing favours, contributing enterprises), example non-interventionist. Ideologically active interlocutors, hand, prompt activist responses investigator’s part, interventions aligned theirs, follow. Green’s (1997) fieldwork 1980s London pioneering activism; feminists’ battles gender, sexuality identity were, things, kinds communities true situation. However, her counts intervention addressed ‘engagement within activism political ways anthropologically’ 2014: 2; see Eriksen 28). this. millenarianism onwards, experiments captured imagination. instance Spain nods towards popular assemblies flourished wake Spanish Occupy movement 2011–12 (Corsín Jiménez Estalella By contrast Atlas, environment strongly institutionalised, counter-institutionalisation, manifest meetings, rearranged urban spaces, forth. Appropriate indeed apprehended ideologically, carried forward Well tried ‘distributed authority’ ‘consent-based decision making’, today inform explicit activists in, example, Extinction Rebellion. experiment belonged ‘same culture activism’ (Sansi 2015: 159), articulated intervention. revealing stake powerful weapon arsenal critics, interests. To contrary, bound enactment Thus artists Barcelona participate defining participative (‘social practice’ art, devolved earlier performative relational art). Ignoring divisions artist non-artist, projects transform social. happen produced created unprecedented configuration ‘commerce’ ‘community’. Such offered work, Sansi collaborative practices. long term-of-engagement desideratum, collaboration gets finessed experimental appropriation. ‘[A]nthropologists learn precisely appropriated it’ (2015: 137; my emphasis). defined calling practice sites, (‘frame reference’) cultural ‘and particular’ 2). twist. ‘like’ anthropologists: university subject. As appropriation, grateful outside academy takes forms. scholars thought Conversely, taking care conceptualisations (after Rabinow 2020), interest use used locations. moved locales. Innumerable circumstances invite understandings allow patterns implied. adhere words deploy. analysis, ‘engagement’ suspiciously benign acquire negativity. engaged along action championed ethics, criticised voices defence formations.4 Anthropologists prey endlessly changing connotations words: arguments concepts, advanced advocates epistemic (Poblocki 147). Nonetheless, pitfalls can, discourses, render ambiguous, ‘collaboration’, ‘appropriation’ ‘experiment’ positive negative colouring. Other terms, ‘fraud’ ‘deceit’, consistent values. ‘terms’ background. We substance meaning stabilised precise (like book ends) holding place; needless add, precision turns dependent variable (Tsing 2009: 11). (conditions) founded invited contextual interpretation; apart constitutive membership presuppositions expectations went forming association, limits activities, ends goal ambition endeavours, varying significance members. No fact word denotes ‘word’; ‘term’ expression, synonym phrase.5 doubles linguistic manner specification. Much activity concerned striking balance between, establish definitions and, other, experimentation leading unexpected horizons expression. comes empirical concerning practices: mobilised compels usage. compulsion likely include curiosity. curiosity ethnographically theoretically fed. Being curious activated suddenly ‘interesting’ refining uses objects addition moving locales, feed staying place. Older members recall place, Coimbra: Adam Kuper’s inspiration, João Pina-Cabral’s hospitality Sydel Silverman Europe’s languages scene heteroglossia implied common communication. outset, EASA’s goals difference traditions (Archetti 2003: 106). Coimbra venue founding moments: debate business. eventual tendency doubt influenced global use; Descola ‘English sort Latin twentieth century, convenient vehicle exchanges community’ (1998: 115–16), French increased declined Enlightenment. rehearse debates,6 lead direction. idiosyncratic lingua franca. What derives expression? Utterance speech?’ Charlemagne’s son Pepin, ‘The betrayer soul’, thought, early Quakers ‘seducers mind’. English, problematise ineffable illusory, directly fakery, deceit misinterpretation, determinedly pursuit studies. completely trusting useful, (Ahmed focus single term, ‘relation (or relations)’ piqued time. anthropology’s prime Relation carries relation’, word. character colour English. ‘link’ ‘knowledge’, constructing generally connotations. Arguments flow made. Like ‘kinship’ ‘friendship’, vernacular usage speaks bonds commonality anything Conversely tenor cast ‘separation’ ‘difference’. ubiquity conveys generic quality,