Book review of ‘Extraordinary anthropology : transformations in the field’ by Jean-Guy A. Goulet and Bruce Granville Miller, Lincoln, NE : University of Nebraska Press, 2007

Abstract

Just as diverse as cultures in the world with which anthropologists spend time being ‘‘participants’’, so varied are the experiences of these anthropologists, depending upon the circumstances in which they work. In sixteen essays of Extraordinary Anthropology: Transformations in the Field Jean-Guy A. Goulet of Saint Paul University in Ottawa and Bruce Granville Miller of the University of British Columbia have compiled experiential accounts of many anthropologists while encountering diverse communities all over the world beyond anthropology’s disciplinary boundaries. Anthropologists have shared in this book their intimate experiences of transformations through dreams, unforgettable visions, emotional conflicts and tensions during field work, as well as at home, when the ‘‘Self ’’ encounter the ‘‘Others’’. The book emphasizes that going into the ‘‘field’’ is not just about the data collection; it has many facets beyond asking questions and getting answers. Doing ethnography produces ethnographic information about the ‘‘Others’’ as well as providing insights coming from the interaction between the ethnographic ‘‘Self ’’ and the ‘‘Others’’.