Anthropology's inheritance: renaissance travel,romanticism and the discourse of identity

This article argues that anthropology inherited a series of contradictory imperatives from its origin as a form of travel. The point is made by studying the relationship between the metadiscourse on travel in the early modern period and the metadiscourse of classic anthropology in the twentieth century. Early commentators worried about the effect of travel on identity and argued that extended journeys resulted in a disaffiliation from inherited values. The goal was to acquire new customs, but not to return as a stranger in one's own country. To prevent the negative effects of travel, travellers were urged to fix their identity in advance of departure and to signal their untroubled reincorporation once they came home. In the Romantic era, an alternative emerged in the valuation of travel as an occasion of critique in which the return was attenuated or suspended. As anthropology developed out of earlier forms of travel, it acquired these competing notions of authenticity, at once defending itself against the accusation of abandoning identity while advocating total immersion in the context of fieldwork. Recent theoretical developments in anthropology are examined to ascertain whether the dilemma of priorities has been overcome. While the evidence suggests that this is possible, anthropology has continued to embrace a distinctive seventeenth‐century compromise, adopting unfamiliar customs selectively, without compromising the integrity of identity.     

Racial science now: histories of race and science in the age of personalized medicine

The revitalization of race-based science and medicine at the very monient in which the history of "race" in science gained such widespread critical attention forces difficult questions regarding the success of the field. This article outlines the current debate over race in contemporary biomedical research and offers a case study of the RaceSci: A History of Race in Science Web project. One of the earliest electronic resources devoted to the history of race in science, RaceSci was relaunched in early 2007 to expand its focus on the present. To date, historians are generally absent from the academic and public dialogue on the "return" of racial science. In response, RaceSci aims to better engage historians with the raced-based organization of current scientific research, particularly in genetics, drug development, and the rise of so-called "personalized" medicine.     

Removing science from magic,science and religion

Tambiah, Stanley J. Culture, Thought, and Social Action: An Anthropological Perspective. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1985. ix + 411 pp. including references, notes, sources, and index. $30.00 cloth.     

Waterfalls,science and aesthetics

Waterfalls and rapids are a subject of study by scientists and scholars from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. Unlike cave research, known as speleology, which also involves many different disciplines, the study of waterfalls is not generally regarded as a distinct branch of knowledge. Long neglected as subjects of research, waterfalls have received considerable attention since the 1980s. This paper traces the study of waterfalls from the late eighteenth century, a period when both a scientific and an aesthetic interest in landscape developed in Europe, to the present. The work of geographers, geologists and others who studied landforms and landscapes is examined, with particular attention to those who expressed a special interest in waterfalls, notably Alexander von Humboldt. The study argues that the scientific and aesthetic approaches to landscape research are not incompatible and supports the view that both are necessary for a full understanding and appreciation of the environment in which we live.     

论情报学与信息管理学的关系

情报学与信息管理学之间是相互借鉴、相互促进的关系。随着信息技术的迅猛发展,传统的情报学受到了严峻的挑战,其研究领域也随之扩大。与此同时,起源于组织内部的“信息管理”也悄然兴起,并与其它相关学科融汇整合,逐步形成为一门新兴的综合性学科——信息管理学。本文通过阐述情报学与信息管理学之间存在的联系和区别,试对这两门学科进行对比分析。