SOC1016A - Lecture 09

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SOC1016A - Lecture 09

• Anthropology and Cinema

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• Traditional marginality of visual anthropology
  writing versus seeing
• 1. The innocent eye (Flaherty). Cinema as an
  illustration
• 2. Masai Women. Abandoning scientific
  ethnography. Feminist agenda. Conversational
  style.
• 3. Film is used to produce original
  anthropological knowledge. Film is not a
  transparent medium. Space for the audiences own
  interpretation. The digital revolution.

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• Extra references
• Henley, P. (1985) British ethnographic film.
  Recent development Anthropology Today, 1 5-17.
• MacDougall, D. (2001) Renewing ethnographic
  film. Is digital video changing the genre?
  Anthropology Today, 17 15-21.

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Nanook of the North (1922)by Robert Flaherty

• Flahertys use of the narrative form
• His shooting techniques
• His cultural perspective

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Selected scenes

1. The kayak scene
2. Spearing the seal
3. The walrus hunt
4. The gramophone
5. The fur trader
6. Making an igloo