An anthropologist among the actors

Abstract

In the ethnographic literature of performance, anthropologist musicians and dancers are far more commonly encountered than actors. While few anthropologists can be considered successful performers in the art forms they study, the scarcity of accounts of participant observation in the mounting of drama suggests that other factors may be at work to dissuade anthropologists from acting pursuits. In spite of some recent work that uses acting as one among several ethnographic strategies, anthropological reserve towards the participatory study of theatrical and film performance persists. This article argues that there are ample reasons for why acting as a form of participant observation should be taken more seriously and engaged in more often by anthropologists. Committed anthropological participation in theatrical, televisual and film performances may be very useful for exploring characterization in narrative, intersubjective understandings of ‘reality’, and the culture of media production.

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