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Transcending the academic/public divide in the transmission of theory: Raglan, diffusionism, and mid-century anthropology.
- Source :
-
History & Anthropology . Apr2017, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p235-253. 19p. - Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Anthropology is plural, not singular, and only a section of its history is decided within universities. A critical re-examination of the work of Lord Raglan demonstrates that retaining an overly academic conception of anthropology impoverishes our understanding of its pasts and its futures. The last of the gentleman-scholars in British anthropology, Raglan was a prominent polemicist of the mid-century, who persistently kept anthropological approaches to contemporary concerns within the public eye. Though a postwar President of the Royal Anthropological Institute and praised by scholars in neighbouring disciplines, Raglan’s diffusionism was sharply criticized by standard-bearers of structural-functionalism. Adopting a broader perspective, Raglan can be viewed as both a sharp-eyed scholar and a successful public intellectual; re-assessment of his work and its effects leads to a re-consideration of the historiography of mid-century UK anthropology: particular theories, though denigrated by mainstream anthropologists, may continue to flourish in other disciplines or extra-academic arenas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 02757206
- Volume :
- 28
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- History & Anthropology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 121369456
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2016.1260566