Women Writing Culture

474 Pages·1996·23.978 MB·English

by  Ruth Behar and Deborah A. Gordon (eds.)

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ß

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Edited by
Ruth ßehar
and
Deborah A. Gordon
University of
CaN'forriia
Press
Berkeley
Lot Angeles
Landen
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 1995 by The Regems of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-m-PubHcarion Data
Women writing culture / edited by Ruth Bchar and Deborah A. Gordon,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index,
isbn 0-52.0-2.0207-4 (alk. paper). — is bn 0-520-20208-2 {pbk. alk.
paper)
1. Women anthropologists—Attitudes, 2. Ethnology—Authorship.
3. Ethnology—Philosophy. 4. Feminist anthropology, 5. Women’s
writings. 6. Feminist literary criticism. L Behar, Ruth, 1956- -
11 Gordon* Deborah A„ 1956- -
GN27/W66 1995
305.42—dC2G 9 5-
OP
The ornamental motif is from the woodcut "Exchange Value” by
Pamela Terry.
Printed in the United States of America
987654321
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi Z39.4S-1984.
Ruth Behar dedicates this book to her teachers
Hifdred Geercz and James W. Fernandez
Deborah Gordon dedicates this book to her teachers
Donna Harawav and James Clifford

Preface and Acknowledgments, xi
INTRODUCTION OUT OF EXILE
Ruth Behar
Part I: Beyond Seff and Other
I. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION 33
Ktrin Narayan
2.. BAD GIRLS: THEATER) WOMEN OF COLOR,
AND THE POLITICS OF REPRESENTATION 49
Dorinne Kondo
3. WRITING IN MY FATHER’S NAME:
A DIARY OF TRANSLATED WOMAN’S FIRST YEAR ¿5
Ruth Behar
Part II: Another History, Another Canon
4. FEMINIST ANTHROPOLOGY:
THE LEGACY OF ELSIE CLEWS PARSONS S5
Louise Lamphere
5. “not in the absolute singular” :
REREADING RUTH BENEDICT 304
Barbara A« Babcock
6. ELLA CARA DELORIA AND MOURNING DOVE;
WRITING FOR CULTURES, WRITING AGAINST THE GRAIN 131
Janet L. Finn
7- MULTIPLE SUBJECTIVITIES AND STRATEGIC POSITIONALITY:
ZORA NEALE HURSTON’S EXPERIMENTAL ETHNOGRAPHIES 148
Graciela Hernández
8. RUTH LANDES AND THE EARLY ETHNOGRAPHY
OF RACE AND GENDER I 66
Sally Cole
MARGARET MEAD AND THE aRUSTLING-OF-THE-WIND~IN-
THE-PALM-TREES SCHOOL” OF ETHNOGRAPHIC WRITING I 8 6
Nancy C. Lutkehaus
to, THE ETHNOGRAPHIC FILMS OF BARBARA G. MYERHOFF:
ANTHROPOLOGY, FEMINISM, AND THE POLITICS OF
JEWISH IDENTITY 2O7
Getya Frank
IT. WRITING AGAINST THE GRAIN: CULTURAL POLITICS
OF DIFFERENCE IN THE WORK OF ALICE WALKER 233
Faye V« Harrison
Part III: Does Anthropology Have a Sex?
12, THE GENDER OF THEORY 249
Catherine Lutz
13. WORKS AND WIVES:
ON THE SEXUAL DIVISION OF TEXTUAL LABOR Z6j
Barbara Tedlock
T4. MS.REPRESENTATIONS:
REFLECTIONS ON STUDYING ACADEMIC MEN 287
Judith Newton and Judith Stacey
15. “MAN’S DARKEST HOURS”:
MALENESS, TRAVEL, AND ANTHROPOLOGY 306
Laurent Dubois
16. WRITING LESBIAN ETHNOGRAPHY 322
EUen Lewin
Part IV: Traveling Feminists
17. A TALE OF TWO PREGNANCIES 339
Lila Abu-Lughod
vm CONTENTS
WOMEN OUT OF CHINA:
TRAVELING TALES AND TRAVELING THEORIES
IN POSTCOLONIAL FEMINISM 35O
Aihwa Ong
19* BORDER WORK:
FEMINIST ETHNOGRAPHY AND THE DISSEMINATION
OF LITERACY 373
Deborah A. Gordon
20. IN DIALOGUE? READING ACROSS MINORITY DISCOURSES 390
Paulla Ehron and Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
Zl. BORDER POETS: TRANSLATING BY DIALOGUES 4IZ
Stnadar Lavie
CONCLUSION: CULTURE WRITING WOMEN:
INSCRIBING FEMINIST ANTHROPOLOGY 42.9
Deborah A. Gordon
Notes on Contributors, 443
Index, 447
CONTENTS IX