History of Ethnography and Ethnology: Section Introduction

Abstract

This chapter is a section introduction and provides a brief analytic summary of each chapter included in the section. The chapters introduce the history of ethnography and ethnology against the backdrop of a wide range of contexts, from nation-building efforts and imperial projects to transnational specimen exchange networks and foundation-sponsored research initiatives. The section as a whole aims to explore the development of ethnological knowledge from a transnational perspective, situating the singularity of each particular ethnographic tradition with an eye toward cross-border flows and global entanglements.