Dios, patria, hogar: Revelando el lado oscuro de nuestra virtud antropológica

Abstract

The article uses ethnographic research on rightwing anti-government movements in Bolivia conducted at the height of social conflict and cultural violence in 2008 and 2009 to reflect on the relationship between anthropological research, ethical commitment, and the politics of knowledge. The article first describes the epistemological and political contexts in which engaged anthropology emerged. It then considers how and why the author’s research diverged from the expectations of engaged anthropology. After reflecting on the implications of this shift, it concludes by arguing for a methodological recalibration that will allow anthropologists to take the ideologies and cultural logics of contemporary rightwing mobilization seriously.