Listening

IF 1.5 Q2 ANTHROPOLOGY
Michael Herzfeld
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This editorial examines the critical importance of listening as a fundamental social art, as much in global and everyday politics as within anthropology and other academic discourses. Herzfeld argues that true listening – beyond mere turn-taking – is increasingly endangered by polarization, institutional legalism, and self-censorship. Drawing on examples from anthropological fieldwork, recent academic controversies, and global political tensions, he advocates for a ‘militant middle ground’ that embraces disagreement as essential for knowledge creation and mutual understanding. This position rejects both extreme relativism and rigid scientism, instead promoting a dynamic engagement with different viewpoints while acknowledging the inherent partiality of all human knowledge. He thereby argues that anthropology's experiential approach through fieldwork offers a model for cultivating the humility and the willingness to embrace uncertainty necessary for productive dialogue in a world that has increasingly forgotten how to listen.

这篇社论探讨了倾听作为一种基本的社会艺术的关键重要性,在全球和日常政治中,在人类学和其他学术话语中也是如此。赫茨菲尔德认为,真正的倾听——不仅仅是轮流倾听——正日益受到两极分化、制度上的法律主义和自我审查的威胁。他以人类学田野调查、最近的学术争议和全球政治紧张局势为例,倡导一种“激进的中间立场”,将分歧视为知识创造和相互理解的必要条件。这一立场反对极端的相对主义和严格的科学主义,而是在承认所有人类知识的固有偏见的同时,促进与不同观点的动态接触。因此,他认为,人类学通过实地考察的经验方法为培养谦卑和接受不确定性的意愿提供了一种模式,这是在一个越来越忘记如何倾听的世界中进行富有成效的对话所必需的。
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来源期刊
Anthropology Today
Anthropology Today ANTHROPOLOGY-
CiteScore
2.30
自引率
7.70%
发文量
71
期刊介绍: Anthropology Today is a bimonthly publication which aims to provide a forum for the application of anthropological analysis to public and topical issues, while reflecting the breadth of interests within the discipline of anthropology. It is also committed to promoting debate at the interface between anthropology and areas of applied knowledge such as education, medicine, development etc. as well as that between anthropology and other academic disciplines. Anthropology Today encourages submissions on a wide range of topics, consistent with these aims. Anthropology Today is an international journal both in the scope of issues it covers and in the sources it draws from.
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