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Volume 47
Methodology & History in Anthropology
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‘I am Here’, Abraham Said
Emmanuel Levinas and Anthropological Science
Nigel Rapport
194 pages, 3 ills., bibliog., index
ISBN 978-1-80539-470-9 $120.00/£89.00 / Hb / Not Yet Published (April 2024)
eISBN 978-1-80539-471-6 eBook Not Yet Published
Reviews
“This is a compelling and thought-provoking piece of work. It offers an excellent account and application of Levinas’ work to anthropology, demonstrating the relevance of his philosophical writings to the discipline. The book is clearly written and will be of interest and relevance within the social sciences and in relation to other disciplines.” • Andrew Irving, University of Manchester
Description
One of the most significant philosophical voices of the twentieth century – the philosopher of ‘the Other’ – Emmanuel Levinas’ work offers a challenge to the discipline of anthropology that claims knowledge of the human. Levinasian philosophy considers subjectivity and identity as ‘secret’. For him an attempt to document humanity should then be placed in an ethics of ignorance and ‘not-knowing’ so that ‘otherness’ can be inspired. Anthropology thus reaches the Levinasian challenge of defining itself as a humanistic science as well as a humanistic documentation of social life. This book endeavours to take Levinasian and anthropological precepts equally seriously and offers tentative conclusions.
Nigel Rapport is Emeritus Professor of Anthropological and Philosophical Studies at the University of St Andrews. He is Founding Director of the St Andrews Centre for Cosmopolitan Studies. His most recent book was Cosmopolitan Love and Individuality: Ethical Engagement beyond Culture (Rowman and Littlefield, 2019).
