The emergence of multispecies ethnography

The emergence of multispecies ethnography

2010 | KIRKSEY, S. Eben, and Stefan HELMREICH
Multispecies ethnography is a new anthropological genre that brings non-human beings into the foreground of anthropological research. Animals, plants, fungi, and microbes, once confined to the realm of "bare life," are now studied alongside humans in the realm of "bios," with biographical and political lives. This approach challenges anthropologists to rethink the boundaries between nature and culture, and to consider the entanglements between humans and other beings. Multispecies ethnographers study the lives and deaths of organisms linked to human social worlds, and they emphasize the political, economic, and cultural forces that shape these lives. The concept of "becoming" is central to this approach, as it highlights the dynamic and evolving relationships between species. The Multispecies Salon, an art exhibit held at the Annual Meetings of the American Anthropological Association, provided a space for anthropologists and their interlocutors to discuss matters of common concern, and it illustrated the lively potentials and deadly consequences of species meeting. The salon also highlighted the role of art in thinking through and against nature-culture dichotomies. Multispecies ethnography has emerged with the activity of a swarm, a network with no center, populated by "a multitude of different creative agents." The work of Donna Haraway and others has been influential in this field, as they challenge human exceptionalism and emphasize the interconnectedness of all beings. The concept of "species" is also central to this discussion, as it raises questions about the definition of "culture" and "species." The authors of this essay argue that multispecies ethnography should not just give voice, agency, or subjectivity to the non-human, but should force us to radically rethink these categories of our analysis as they pertain to all beings. The essay also discusses the emergence of multispecies ethnography in the context of the Anthropocene, and the ways in which anthropologists are beginning to ask what anthropos is becoming. The authors also explore the history of multispecies ethnography, and the ways in which it has been influenced by the work of scholars who helped found the discipline. The essay concludes with a discussion of the future of multispecies ethnography, and the ways in which it may continue to challenge anthropological assumptions about the boundaries between humans and non-humans.Multispecies ethnography is a new anthropological genre that brings non-human beings into the foreground of anthropological research. Animals, plants, fungi, and microbes, once confined to the realm of "bare life," are now studied alongside humans in the realm of "bios," with biographical and political lives. This approach challenges anthropologists to rethink the boundaries between nature and culture, and to consider the entanglements between humans and other beings. Multispecies ethnographers study the lives and deaths of organisms linked to human social worlds, and they emphasize the political, economic, and cultural forces that shape these lives. The concept of "becoming" is central to this approach, as it highlights the dynamic and evolving relationships between species. The Multispecies Salon, an art exhibit held at the Annual Meetings of the American Anthropological Association, provided a space for anthropologists and their interlocutors to discuss matters of common concern, and it illustrated the lively potentials and deadly consequences of species meeting. The salon also highlighted the role of art in thinking through and against nature-culture dichotomies. Multispecies ethnography has emerged with the activity of a swarm, a network with no center, populated by "a multitude of different creative agents." The work of Donna Haraway and others has been influential in this field, as they challenge human exceptionalism and emphasize the interconnectedness of all beings. The concept of "species" is also central to this discussion, as it raises questions about the definition of "culture" and "species." The authors of this essay argue that multispecies ethnography should not just give voice, agency, or subjectivity to the non-human, but should force us to radically rethink these categories of our analysis as they pertain to all beings. The essay also discusses the emergence of multispecies ethnography in the context of the Anthropocene, and the ways in which anthropologists are beginning to ask what anthropos is becoming. The authors also explore the history of multispecies ethnography, and the ways in which it has been influenced by the work of scholars who helped found the discipline. The essay concludes with a discussion of the future of multispecies ethnography, and the ways in which it may continue to challenge anthropological assumptions about the boundaries between humans and non-humans.
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