Focusing on the Minangkabau, a matrilineal Moslem culture in West Sumatra, this book explores the cultural construction of emotions and how diverse societies articulate and understand feelings. It delves into the unique emotional frameworks of the Minangkabau people, revealing how their cultural context influences their emotional expressions and discussions. Through this lens, the book offers insights into the interplay between culture and emotion across different societies.
"Even before Robert Flaherty released Nanook of the North in 1922, anthropologists were producing films about the lifeways of native peoples for a public audience, as well as for research and teaching. Ethnographic Film (1976) was one of the first books to provide a comprehensive introduction to this field of visual anthropology, and it quickly became the standard reference. In this new edition, Karl G. Heider thoroughly updates Ethnographic Film to reflect developments in the field over the three decades since its publication, focusing on the work of four seminal filmmakers-Jean Rouch, John Marshall, Robert Gardner, and Timothy Asch. He begins with an introduction to ethnographic film and a history of the medium. He then considers many attributes of ethnographic film, including the crucial need to present "whole acts," "whole bodies," "whole interactions," and "whole people" to preserve the integrity of the cultural context. Heider also discusses numerous aspects of making ethnographic films, from ethics and finances to technical considerations such as film versus video and preserving the filmed record. He concludes with a look at using ethnographic film in teaching"--From publisher description.
This case study examines an isolated tribe in Indonesia, West New Guinea, when tribe members were still using stone axes, bows, arrows and spears, up to more present times spanning 34 years (1961-1995). The author's long engagement with the Dani results in a wide range of engaging topics as well as coverage of the ethical dilemma he faced as an anthropologist. One immediately acquires a sense of the limitations and strengths of the anthropologist's role in the field. Heider's 1995 visit to the Dugnm Dani left him less optimistic about the future of the Dani than his 1988 visit. Indonesian Independence Day was celebrated during Heider's stay. The Dani presence was barely acknowledged, while the Indonesian presence was colorfully represented. The past mistakes of foreign occupation of indigenous territory, committed mostly by Western powers, now seem repeated by the Indonesian authorities.