INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
21-22 SEPTEMBER 2000
FRENCH SOCIETY OF ETHNOLOGY AND UNIVERSITY OF METZ (FRANCE)
The work of Norbert Elias has attracted the attention of historians, political scientists and sociologists. At a time of renewed interest in Elias' researches, we would like to examine how his "cross-disciplinary" thought illuminates the anthropological approach. The conference will focus on two main topics: - What is the place of anthropology in Elias work? His work refers explicitly to classics like Radcliffe-Brown, Mead, Evans- Pritchard, Levi-Strauss. He lived in Africa, where he confronted the cultural "Other". This experience led him to reconsider European culture and more broadly the epistemological position of self-distanciation. - How can Elias' works enrich anthropology? Apart from occasional references to Elias in recent anthropological writing, there has been no systematic attempt to incorporate his perspective into the various fields to which it is obviously relevant. These might include : uses of the body, everyday life, organisation of public and private space, etc; concepts such as habitus, process, interiorisation, etc; and the definition of "culture". This conference, beyond paying homage to Elias, wants to stimulate a critical reading of Elias' works. We will explore the heuristic value and formative potential of his thought for contemporary anthropology.
For more information, including conditions of financial support, please contact :
Dr Sophie Chevalier, lecturer in social anthropology at the University of Franche-Comte, co-organizer of the conference
SophieChevalier@compuserve.com
The official languages of the conference will be : French, German and English
Copyright ©1996-2002, H-Soz-u-Kult · Humanities · Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte