Open AccessRelocating Florence Weiss’ Fieldwork Photography as Anthropological Practice
Author(s) -
Michèle Dick
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
tsantsa
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2673-5377
pISSN - 1420-7834
DOI - 10.36950/tsantsa.2018.23.7307
Subject(s) - photography , white (mutation) , art , visual anthropology , visual arts , sociology , art history , anthropology , ethnography , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
During her 17 months of fieldwork (1972-74) in the village of Palimbei in Papua New Guinea, the Swiss anthropologist Florence Weiss took 5 674 black and white negatives and 4 794 col-our transparencies. Although the photographs were not taken at regular intervals, the average number of approximately 19 photographs per day gives an idea of the presence of photography in her fieldwork practice. Yet, Florence Weiss was not considered – or considered herself – a visual anthropologist. So, what kind of practice does her photography represent, and what role did it play in her wider fieldwork practice?