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Lies and Amnesia in Anthropological Research: Recycling the Waste
Author(s) -
Rösing Ina
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
anthropology of consciousness
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1556-3537
pISSN - 1053-4202
DOI - 10.1525/ac.1999.10.2-3.13
Subject(s) - amnesia , shamanism , indigenous , ideology , artifact (error) , field research , psychology , sociology , epistemology , history , social science , cognitive psychology , archaeology , political science , law , philosophy , ecology , politics , neuroscience , biology
Based on field research on Andean medicine men and West Tibetan (Ladakhi) shamans, this paper delineates some research problems which arise from the lies told and amnesia experienced by indigenous informants. It is shown that the problem of amnesia leads to the paradox that "one can only do research on shamans by ceasing to do research." In discussing four hypotheses for understanding shaman's amnesia, as a "lie," as a professional ideology, or as an artifact of Western research, a solution is sought for this paradox. The best solution is seen in an approach called "recycling the waste" in which lies, inventions, contradictory and fragmentary information (usually considered as the "waste" of research) are being "recycled" as valuable data in their own right.