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Re: Walking, not talking
douglass st.christian (stchri@MCMAIL.CIS.MCMASTER.CA)
Wed, 13 Apr 1994 10:24:15 -0400
Well, hello to the ever present Prof. Graber who, yet again, reminds us
that so long as you punch the right buttons, an argument can be conjured
up out of anything.
Since he has already admitted a fundamental ignorance of the work of the
long list of 'ists' which he now accuses of engaging in mystification for
its own sake, this part of his comments warrants no comment.
However, his assertion that my earlier claim that for anthropology to
pursue anything approaching truth demanded that anthropology first
confront how - in whatever form, be it positivistic or mystical - that
truth is constructed and deployed was evidence that i either can't walk
or can't talk or just can't was simply that - cant.
Having said that, however, I need also to say that at the end of the day,
brother Graber has a point [ and not just the one on the top of his head
since i am sure each of you are expecting me to take my own shots back]
about positivistic assumptions being unavoidable. I would only add that,
at the risk of poetry, one can embrace something in order to strangle it as
readily as one can embrace it in order to submit.
Rhetoric? Damn straight!
douglass......
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