Original scientific paper
Duality of Ethnological Discourse and the Position of Ethnology of Branimir Bratanić
Tomislav Pletenac
Abstract
Starting from the discourse on the division of culture, this paper
attempts to understand the theoretical framework which is the consequence of such division. In other words, in spite of the multiple criticisms of ethnology whose aim was to reconstruct historical events through geographical distribution of specific cultural elements, today’s position is to try to establish some of the reflections of these practices using the contemporary theoretical positions. These reflections are probably the most prominent inside the attempts to avoid any elements which could be in any way connected to cultural reconstructions. On the other hand, Croatian ethnology has been,
regardless of its turbulent history of the other half of the 20th century, marked as a theoretically retarded discipline, which can produce only raw ethnographic data, while the manufacturing industry of new theories was positioned in Western institutes. Lack of dialogue with the Western interpretative practices accentuates the discursive position of Branimir Bratanić, but not any more inside the framework offered by his time and his ethnological program.
Keywords
history of ethnology; postcoloniality; Branimir Bratanić; theory
Hrčak ID:
4943
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2005.
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