Indigenous Peoples As a Research Space of Visual Anthropology

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Siberian Federal University Digital Repository Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences 9 (2014 7) 1471-1493 ~ ~ ~ УДК 304.2 Indigenous Peoples as a Research Space of Visual Anthropology Mariya I. Ilbeykina* Siberian Federal University 79 Svobodny, Krasnoyarsk, 660041, Russia Received 14.05.2014, received in revised form 04.07.2014, accepted 30.08.2014 The article reviews visual anthropological projects that study culture of indigenous peoples both in foreign and domestic practices. Development of visual anthropology as a separate area of the humanities, from the moment of appearance of the first visual anthropological experiments to the topical research, is considered, the main lines of its development in the context of the indigenous peoples’ visual systems study are specified, i.e. such an ethno-cultural group, which development is not indicated in the finished form, but continues in the process of interaction with a multicultural community. Keywords: visual anthropology, indigenous peoples, visual sociology, “camera-intermediary”, visual systems, contemporary museum practices. Visual anthropology is a method of S.A. Smirnov writes in detail about the describing and analyzing the phenomena of fate of anthropology and its role for the social culture, founded on photos, video and audio philosophy of the 20th century, in modern records. Visual anthropology works not only anthropology he simultaneously sees powerful with cultural, but also with social problematics philosophical basis and definite application [30]. of humanitarian practices designed to create Visual anthropology that appeared within and implement “the projects of man”. Other the frames of cultural anthropology and was researchers define anthropology as an instrument actively developed in the West since the 60s of of culture transmission from generation to the 20th century and in Russia since the 90s of the generation, as a communicative network within 20th century is widely used as a tool for applied a particular community (L.S. Klein), as a tool research of “the little-known aspects of culture” of reduction to a common denominator the [1]. Nowadays study of “the little-known aspects dynamic and adaptive approaches (S. Lurie), of culture” refers to the most accurate, reliable as well as reflection through the knowledge of presentation of everyday life not only of the ethnic other cultures (High Anthropological School, communities members, but also representatives of Chisinau). Visual anthropology becomes a regional, age, creative, confessional, professional, mean of immersing into a studied culture and marginal and other communities. its representation’s research tool in visual © Siberian Federal University. All rights reserved * Corresponding author E-mail address: [email protected] – 1471 – Mariya I. Ilbeykina. Indigenous Peoples as a Research Space of Visual Anthropology systems: in the early 20th century the tendency The main feature of the indigenous peoples is to the dialogue of visual anthropological their long-term residence in the territories that communication was supported by M. Mead were forcibly included into the large nation and G. Bateson, R. Berdvistel, K. Levine and state, their remaining land was often reduced E. Hall. Referring to the experience of visual in size, that also reduced their ability to sustain anthropology research practices related to their existence, and they eventually started to indigenous peoples, it is necessary to mention be treated as another “minority group” within A.Baliksi who carries out comparative analysis the large pluralistic society” [57, P.14]. There is of video filming, conducted by representatives another definition that works with the concept of indigenous peoples in different countries; of “authenticity”: “... the population is known as V.M. Magidov who acted as a historian-analyst “indigenous” (aboriginal) peoples who have some of the domestic projects and worked with such specific rights, as well as national and international video archives as “Kinoatlas of the USSR”; protection mechanisms. In Russia, this category A.V. Golovnev who emphasized the moment of of population is defined by law as “indigenous identity detection in “anthropological cinema” small-numbered peoples”. Their number is about (“Anthropological cinema are films about the quarter of a million, but it grows as well as the peoples and cultures, about religions and rituals, number of applicants to get into this list approved about the owns and the others, about the national by the government” [92, P.7]. However, in the character and cultural heritage”), and the moment first mentioned definition it was clearly indicated of self-identification (“This is a cinema research that specificity of the term “indigenous” is that it of a man in his self-identity and the sense of has a scientific status (as opposed to “aboriginal self”) [20]; it is important to note the collective peoples”), cultural-anthropological value, it monograph “Culture of Indigenous and Small- reflects not rigid condition of an ethno-cultural Numbered Peoples in the Context of Global group, but the process of an ethno-cultural group Transformations” [57]: the monograph contains interaction with the so-called “Large (pluralistic) extensive material concerning methodology society” [57, ibid.]. of cultural studies, works with the concept of This approach is important to us primarily “ethnicity” and gives many examples of practical due to the fact that, unlike other existing definitions researches of indigenous and small peoples’ ([23], [54], [57], [92]), here the emphasis is laid culture, including work with visuality (visual on the fact of interaction of the multicultural arts, decorative and applied arts, correlation of community and local culture. Hence, the subject verbal and visual concepts). of interest for this article are projects that are not A working definition of “indigenous peoples” confined solely on working with the peoples who that we use was presented by N.P. Koptseva [44- lived in Siberia before the Russians arrived – 47] in the collective monograph “Culture of Nenets, Selkups, Khanty, Mansi, Siberian Tatars, Indigenous and Small-Numbered Peoples in the Chulyms, Kazakhs, but projects working with Context of Global Transformations” [57], and the phenomenon of community authenticity in reads as follows: “indigenous peoples” means general. We are going to consider projects that people who “have always been here”, that their involve visual component not as an illustration to roots go far in the past and there is no evidence the basic material, but that, interpreting visual of any peoples who previously lived here, whose component as varied, fundamentally different descendants still present in the population. from verbal, language of communication (in – 1472 – Mariya I. Ilbeykina. Indigenous Peoples as a Research Space of Visual Anthropology particular, theoretical developments of this ideas Originally, experience of referring to the belong to M. McLuhan [60] and D. McDougall visual materials was used in anthropology as [99], V. Benjamin [8] and R. Barth [7]). illustrations to the collected information, where the principle of spectacularity and exoticism of Visual-anthropological practices “the other” culture comes to the fore (photographic th of the first half of the 20 century: survey of Torres Strait aborigines by A. Heddon “indigenous” as the objective of research in 1898, photographic fixation in the studies by Visual anthropology appeared over half E.Sh. Curtis, video of Australian Aborigines’ a century ago within the frames of American dance by W.B. Spencer in 1901) – Eurocentrism cultural anthropology and now it is developing as provoked vision of an unknown community’s a scientific discipline, which is an integral part culture as “wild” and “uncivilized”. The next of the cycle of cultural and socio-anthropological step was use of visual material as a result of field sciences. In Russia the phrase “visual research, where the principle was accumulation anthropology” appeared only in 1987 (Parnu, the of the received material uninterpretable in the International Festival of Visual Anthropology). process of fixation (even a researcher might not In the late 80s in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous always understand it). This includes research District a seminar on visual anthropology, led work experiences with the primitive and by professor of Anthropology from University indigenous cultures by E.B. Tylor, L.H. Morgan, of Montreal Asen Balikci, took place and in 1991 Ch. Letourneau. in Moscow professors Evgeny Aleksandrov and In 1922 there was “the quiet revolution” Leonid Filimonov created the first in Russia in visual anthropology: American film director Center for Visual Anthropology. and documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty Visual anthropology is a modern created a film “Nanook of the North” (Fig.1- interdisciplinary field of knowledge that appeared 2), thereby opening the perspective of using on the basis of socio-philosophical and cultural- film-making techniques in science. “Nanook of anthropological studies, it synthesizes visual arts, the North” established the following methods social cognition and information technologies and principles about the culture of “the other” [31]. In this article we define visual anthropology in films: the principle of respect for the hero, as a systemized method of research of different awareness and articulation

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