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Embodied Knowledge
alternative: either repress the experience, or express it in an intelligi-
ble form for colleagues and the public at large to grasp.
At the heart of this transformation in the field lies hospitality: that
of our hosts (human or otherwise), who introduce us to their social
world in all its complexities; that of ourselves, who learn from per-
sonal experiences important dimensions of the human potential for
meaningful interaction with others; that, finally, of the discipline that
seeks to understand as best as possible how human beings shape their
experiences of themselves, individually and collectively, in the context
of shifting circumstances and convictions.
The sixteen contributors to this book convey to readers a sense
of the deep humanity of those who have been mentors. This was so
among Aboriginal peoples in Australia for Deborah Rose; in Mexico
for Edward Abse, Duncan Earle, and Jeanne Simonelli; in the United
States for Janferie Stone and Bruce Miller; in Canada for Peter Gard-
ner, Barbara Wilkes, Edmund Searles, Guy Lanoue, Bruce Miller, and
Jean-Guy Goulet; and in Siberia for Petra Rethmann. Other contrib-
utors write from contemporary urban settings in which they were
transformed through their interaction with individuals and groups
who in their environment are considered marginal. For Deirdre Mein-
tel, these were Spiritualists in Montreal; for Anahì Viladrich, Argen-
tinean immigrant tango dancers in New York City; for Denise Nut-
tall, tabla drummers in New Delhi and San Francisco; and for Millie
Creighton, members of various minority groups in Japan. If there is
one notion that stands out from these essays, it is that “just as mind
and body are not separate entities, so person and place are character-
ized by their interactive connectedness” (Kawano 2005 , 129 ).^8 (See
map of peoples and places mentioned in each chapter.) This book thus
demonstrates that consent to be touched by lived experiences and let-
ting go of predetermined agendas lead to significant contributions to
an anthropology of cross-cultural encounters.
Notes
1. In Calgary in May 2000 , at the annual meeting of the Canadian Anthropological So-
ciety, we (Jean-Guy Goulet and Bruce Miller) drew on Fabian’s work to organize a sym-
posium entitled Ethnographic Objectivity Revisited: From Rigor to Vigor. Four of the pa-
pers presented at this symposium were revised and expanded to become part of this book
