On Decolonizing Anthropology: Postcolonial Theorizing and Collaborative Methodologies

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Whether it is about acknowledging the ugly legacy of the discipline in colonial
and imperialist ventures or the present call for decolonization, anthropology is
constantly adapting to changing times. Arguments posit that anthropology (and
other disciplines, for that matter) must decolonize, and, moreover, the theoretical
literature on how to do so is vast, though it is rare to come across instances of
anthropologists practically distancing the discipline from its colonial roots. One
exception to this is Prof. Judith Schlehe of the Institute of Social and Cultural
Anthropology, University of Freiburg, Germany. Schlehe has used her position
as senior anthropologist to forge transnational collaboration between researchers
who are positioned differently in relation to colonial legacies, believing that for
anthropology to be a collective pursuit, all societies must be explorable by researchers
from both the former colonizer and colonized groups. In this chapter, I draw
from her insightful work on collaborative methodologies to demonstrate some of
the ways in which anthropology is being decolonized. Decolonization, positionality,
and reflexivity are some of the key features of anthropological theorizing
and methodology that I take up as points of focus in this article.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIn Tandem—Pathways towards a Postcolonial Anthropology | Im Tandem – Wege zu einer postkolonialen Ethnologie
EditorsMirjam Lücking
Number of pages16
Place of PublicationWiesbaden
PublisherSpringer VS
Publication date28 Mar 2023
Pages27-42
Chapter2
ISBN (Print)978-3-658-38672-6
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-658-38673-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Mar 2023

ID: 343283796