Constructing Knowledge : Authority and Critique in Social Science

The book explores the crisis in anthropology, brought on by the sustained attacks on its long held postulates. Amongst the topics discussed are: the legitimacy of constructing knowledge about others; Western ethnocentrism inherent in concepts such as culture; construction of concepts such as "self" and "other" serving to strengthen rather than reduce racial and gender inequality; postmodern "doubt" with its emphasis on relativity of knowledge which can undermine the whole edifice of "scientific" anthropology; whether a reflexive self-critique can be sustained as an alternative to paralysis of the discipline. This text may be of interest to those involved in the practice of social science research.