The "Exotic" and the "Domestic": Regions and Representation in Cultural Anthropology

Shankman, Paul, Ehlers, Tracy Bachrach, Human Organization

Regional scholarship is an enduring feature of cultural anthropology. But how does work from different regions compare in terms of published scholarship? This article offers some preliminary answers based on a longitudinal study of ethnographic articles in major English-language journals over the past seven decades. The dominance of North America in the early decades of the 20th century has given way to articles on more "exotic" areas, especially Oceania, Asia, and Africa. A preliminary explanation of this shift involves graduate programs and academic career paths that favor exotic and "pure" research in contrast to "domestic" and applied research.

Key words: regional …

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Publication information: Article title: The "Exotic" and the "Domestic": Regions and Representation in Cultural Anthropology. Contributors: Shankman, Paul - Author, Ehlers, Tracy Bachrach - Author. Journal title: Human Organization. Volume: 59. Issue: 3 Publication date: Fall 2000. Page number: 289+. © Society of Applied Anthropology Winter 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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