Reflecting differences: ontological turn and ethnographic issues
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9133.v30i2pe181847Keywords:
Ontological turn, Anthropological theory, Alterity, DifferenceAbstract
A current set of anthropologists has been arguing in support of the so-called “ontological turn” in order to deal with the epistemological problems faced by the relationships between ethnographic materials and analytical concepts. According to these authors, the ontological turn is a technology of description that takes the difference seriously and allows our ethnographic materials to dictate the rules of our reflection. I propose a reading that questions whether the ontological turn in anthropology would not be taking its theoretical assumptions so seriously, instead of valuing ethnography itself. Although the approach may bring new relevant topics, it still presents several problems that proponents are not considering. Thus, I conclude that ontological turn proposes new insights to guide anthropologists, but it does not exhaust the ethnography.
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