Reversed Gaze: An African Ethnography of American Anthropology

by Mwenda Ntarangwi

Deftly illustrating how life circumstances can influence ethnographic fieldwork, Mwenda Ntarangwi focuses on his experiences as a Kenyan anthropology student and professional anthropologist practicing in the United States and Africa. Whereas Western anthropologists often study non-Western cultures, Mwenda Ntarangwi reverses these common roles and studies the Western culture of anthropology from an outsider's viewpoint while considering larger debates about race, class, power, and the representation of the "other." Tracing his own immersion into American anthropology, Ntarangwi identifies textbooks, ethnographies, coursework, professional meetings, and feedback from colleagues and mentors that were key to his development.

 

Reversed Gaze enters into a growing anthropological conversation on representation and self-reflexivity that ethnographers have come to regard as standard anthropological practice, opening up new dialogues in the field by allowing anthropologists to see the role played by subjective positions in shaping knowledge production and consumption. Recognizing the cultural and racial biases that shape anthropological study, this book reveals the potential for diverse participation and more democratic decision making in the identity and process of the profession.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I could tell that my two years of living in America, and especially the courses I had taken in anthropology, had changed my worldview and social sensibilities. I was much more aware of social class, gender issues, and international determinants of local political realities." (90)
So cathartic and reaffirming to read another international student's critical analysis of his first foray and subsequent experiences with anthropology in the US. I so wish this had been assigned way earlier in my college career.

[Bria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's because it was too familiar to me, but the account of the college project was a little bit uninteresting, and overall I didn't get quite as much new insight as I had hoped for. My main other complaint was that he often spoke about how anthropology is ignored in favor of sociology, and other problems between the two fields, without ever explaining what exactly the difference is.

[Clementine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ntarangwi compassionately critiques Western anthropological culture and practices from a place of genuine love of the field. This book is incredibly (and consciously) readable for an academic text and in my opinion should be read by all cultural anthropology students. Ntarangwi exposes the problems with contemporary Western anthropology - racial, semantic, academic, and so forth - without ever losing sight of the fact that he loves the discipline. My main critique is that he does engage in the practice of recycling old field notes that he himself criticizes in the text; I also felt that at times his ethnographic writing was so detailed as to move me away from the central - and critically important - point he was making. Overall, though, this is a well thought-out, well-written, and much-needed ethnographic text that deserves to be widely-read and discussed.

[DM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great idea but was disappointed in the execution. I felt like he asked all sorts of interesting questions and then never followed up or offered his own analysis on the issue. Did enjoy his critiques/observations of the odd world that is academic conferences.

[Ryan Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mwenda Ntarangwi lodges an important examination and analysis of American anthropology. His work reveals important critiques of American anthropology and what it must work toward as a discipline to grow and find its footing as we progress forward.

[Threaded · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. The reversal-of-gazes angle is thought provoking. This tendency has become more prevalent in recent years, for good reason.