The 25th-anniversary edition of the groundbreaking book that changed
anthropology, asserting that ethnographers needn't exclude themselves or
their vulnerabilities from their work
In a new epilogue to this classic work, renowned ethnographer and
storyteller Ruth Behar reflects on the groundbreaking impact The
Vulnerable Observer has had on anthropology, sociology, and psychology
and on scholarly writing. A pocket companion for writers, journalists,
documentarians, and activists alike, this book speaks to the power of
including oneself in the story, bringing deeper meaning to the
relationship between writer, subject, and reader.
In a move revolutionary for its time, The Vulnerable Observer proposed
a new theory and practice for humanistic anthropology. No longer should
ethnographers write at a distance, clad in their shroud of
"objectivity." In six luminous essays, Behar calls instead for a fresh
approach to ethnography, one that is lived and written more openly.
Through this very personal account, readers can travel and relate to
other peoples and the world around them.
Eloquently interweaving ethnography and memoir, Behar encourages her
readers to be open about their experiences, as open as their subjects
are with them. She does so in the hope that this work will lead us
toward greater depth of understanding and feeling, not only in
anthropology but in all efforts to document the shared vulnerability of
the observed and the observer.
