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expression and generalization in history and anthropology 1
Author(s) -
CONKLING ROBERT
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
american ethnologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.875
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1548-1425
pISSN - 0094-0496
DOI - 10.1525/ae.1975.2.2.02a00030
Subject(s) - rhetorical question , narrative , generalization , epistemology , anthropology , sociology , expression (computer science) , social knowledge , historical anthropology , philosophy , linguistics , computer science , programming language
An examination of certain aspects of historical and anthropological practice reveals (1) that rhetorical, or aesthetic, judgments inhere in the use of narrative, (2) that evocative, rather than merely denotative, language contributes to objective knowledge of events in another culture, and (3) that patterns, not laws, are the best means by which to generalize about unique sequences of events. A strict scientistic approach is not necessary for an historical and anthropological knowledge of social processes.