During recent years, attempts have been made to move beyond the Eurocentric perspective that characterized the social sciences, especially anthropology, for over 150 years. A debate on the "anthropology of anthropology" was needed, one that would consider other forms of knowledge, modalities of writing, and political and intellectual practices. This volume undertakes that challenge: it is the result of discussions held at the first organized encounter between Iranian, American, and European anthropologists since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It is considered an important first step in...

In all, these useful and informative articles assess the status of anthropology of/in Iran realistically, even candidly... They] reflect the cautiously optimistic attitude at the time of the conference, a hopefulness that meanwhile has withered... and] illustrate the difficulties of transplanting a young social science based on humanism and curiosity (rather than pragmatism) to a society that is distrustful of intellectual pursuits deemed as potentially dangerous to an authoritarian state. Anthropos

The authors present an incisive and illuminating overview of Iranian...