Staging an encounter between anthropology and philosophy: Hits and misses in the work of Michael Jackson

ABSTRACT

This review essay assesses Michael Jackson’s ongoing project of staging an encounter between anthropology and philosophy in two books: Lifeworlds (2013) and As Wide as the World Is Wise (2016). Considering his philosophical enrichment of ethnographic theory and method, this essay addresses foundational questions about the prospects and practices of interdisciplinary engagement. It also suggests future avenues for continued dialogue between philosophy and anthropology.

KEYWORDS:

• Bourdieu
• ethnography
• existentialism
• interdisciplinarity
• phenomenology
• philosophy
• pragmatism
• ritual
• Wittgenstein

Notes

¹This is such a strong, odd claim that the first couple of times I read him as if he said “comprised” here.