Anthropology, Art, and Aesthetics by Coote

Anthropology, Art, and Aesthetics by Coote

This collection of essays on anthropological approaches to art and aesthetics is the first in its field to be published for some time. In recent years a number of new galleries of non-Western art have been opened, many exhibitions of non-Western art held, and new courses in the anthropology of art established. This collection is part of and complements these developments, contributing to the general resurgence of interest in what has been until recently a comparatively neglected field of academic study and intellectual debate.Unlike many previous collections, the focus of this volume is resolutely anthropological. The contributors draw on contemporary anthropological theory and exchange, to deepen our understanding of particular aesthetic traditions in their socio-cultural and historical contexts. In addition, the cross-cultural applicability of the very concepts 'art' and 'aesthetics' is assessed.Each essay illustrates a specific approach and develops a particular argument. Many present new ethnography based on recent field research among Australian Aborigines, in New Guinea, Indonesia, Mexico, and elsewhere. Others draw on classic anthropological accounts of, for example, the Trobriand Islanders of Melanesia and the Nuer of the Southern Sudan, putting this material to new uses.Sir Raymond Firth's introductory overview of the history of the anthropological study of art makes this volume particularly useful for the non-specialist interested in learning what anthropology has to contribute to our understanding of art and aesthetics in general.With its wide geographical and cultural coverage and plentiful illustrations, many of which are in colour, Anthropology, Art, and Aesthetics will be a valuable resource for all serious students of the subject.

highly admirable, and at times very exciting, collection of papers * Times Higher Education Supplement *

Jeremy Coote is an independent researcher, author, and editor specializing in art and anthropology. He is a member of Wolfson College, Oxford. Anthony Shelton specializes in pre-Columbian art and the ethnography of contemporary Midddle America.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780198279457
ISBN 10	0198279450
Title	Anthropology, Art, and Aesthetics
Author	Coote
Series	Oxford Studies In The Anthropology Of Cultural Forms
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	1994-03-31
Number of pages	294
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.