Anthropology & the Colonial Encounter Edited by Talal AsadPublished by Humanity Books, an impri f Prometheus Books Anthropology & The Colonial Encounter. Copyright © 1973 Talal Asad. rights reserved, No part of this publication may be reproduces ‘na retrieval system, of transmitted in any form or by any me electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, conveyed Via the Internet of a Web site, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical anicles and reviews. Inguities should be addressed to - ‘Humanity Books 59 John Glen Drive \WWWPROMETHEUSBOOKS.COM 10.09 20-19-18, Library of Congress Cataloging-i-Publication Data lonial encounter / edited by Talal Asad. lands, NJ : Humanities Press jaca Press, 1973 1 paleo 2. Colom. 1, Asad, Talal Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Contents 2 41 1 103 1a 13 133 173 199 23 24 259 23 285 Peter Forster: A Review of the New Left Critique of Soctal Anthropology Wendy James: The Anthropologist as reluctant Imperialist Stephan Feuchtwang: The Discipline and its Sponsors Talal Asad: Two European Images of Non-European Rule Part 2: Case Studies Helen Lackner: Colonfal Administration and Social Anthropology: Eastern Nigeria 1920-1940 James Faris: Pax Britannica and the Sudan: S F Nadel Richard Brown: Anthropology and Colonial Rule: Godfrey Wilson and the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute, Northern Rhodesia John Clanmer: Colonaliom and the Pernt: of Tradition in Fi Roger Owen: Jmperial Policy and Theories of Social Change: Sir Alfred Lyall inIndia. Roy Willis: An Indigenous Critique of Colonialism: The Fipa of Tanzania ‘Abdel Ghaffar M Ahmed: Some Remarks from the Third World on Anthropology and Colonialism: the Sudan Philip Marflcet: Bibliographical Notes on the Debate IndexINTRODUCTION Talat Asad ley wrote his trenchant eritique und deotoey eid Soelety. London, 196 sologese" in Encounter, Decor ing Anthropology, London, 1961, p. 1 the Vol. XV.inrropucTION 10 rous and coherent body of theoty proper to soc ‘A year later Ardener observed that, already happened to British anthropology ( ‘anthropology in related ways such that for practical purposes text- useful, no long sphs which used | minority, apart from the names longer quite so self-evident its doubts in radical terms." just mentioned, has begun to artic ‘What has happened jonal level nothing very disturbing has happened. ion of Social Anthropologists aval academic conferences ‘whose proceedings are regularly published in handsome hardcover land paperback editions, Monographs, articles and text-books by writers calling themselves anthropologists appear in increasing number. A prestigious series of annual lectures on social anthro- ‘been launched under the auspices of the Britis logy. ish anthropology are * They would maintain, 970, Copans, ‘ahiers des éudes Africaine, No. 43, ‘lonttisme, Paris, 1972. Firoduetion to Hisiory and Social Anthro- TALAL ASAD. i persuaded by establishment something hi as Ardener put Second World nthropology as i "See for example Social Sience Resear SF ropelaey Landon, 198 fidel, The Foundations of Social Anthropology, London, 1983, p. 2INTRODUCTION 12 13 TALAL ASAD * The doctrines m thus gave absent. The is it, for example, that in 1940 anthropologists could pat fe have not developing structure of determinations) ions’ of a society are al and since it had in general Sontued concrete eat heotap ‘i ip ‘themselves have led to same postewar period organisational base of soci ly. by. challenging the. fun en records could pr , ds Socal Anthropalogy London, 1951 |. Fortes and E. E. Evs rd, (els), African ‘Systems, sia Swane, WW. Tumer, A. Tuden, (ds), Pol May Sea WW. Tomer, A. Tuden, (ea), Polite! Antropooey, ios anclac to many anthropologists even todey ‘W'appaent fromthe Oversonidentromaris of Levr Straus in his polenisINTRODUCTION TALAL ASAD. 15 academic profession towards forts were devoted to 2 d ing agency—rather . Anthropology was ropologists "and subtle ded by scholars who were alread: members of the long-established but far less exclusive Royal ‘Ar in their personal capa: /e a wide spectrum of oll international public of thropological colleagues and:n unequal power encounter between the hich goes back to the emergence of bour- INTRODUCTION iplines objeotify support research expe imately confirm them opology has not very easily turned to the ly subversive forms of understanding rwhelmingly obj ly accommodated to the mode of y. of the world power which the from the way in which these Tanguages that and hence to the rat represents, "We must begin from the fact that the basic reality which mads pre-war soci the power relat wally no European e subordinated culture he has18 INTRODUCTION among some critics and defenders of social anthropology of speak- ing as though the doctrines and analyses labelled ‘functionalism’ were. parts of world represented by the sm. as such—withi formed. For any object whitch fed and manipulated is partly the product of a power and to ignore this fact is to miscomprehend the nature of enterprise from that of colonial Europeans (the trad ior and other men of practical affairs); but unable to envisage and argue for a different political future for the subordinate | thus serve to merge that enterprise in effect wi 4 status-quo Europeans? If ¢he anthropol condemned particular social changes affecting the anthropologi recause bourreoi 19 World and to examine iked to the practical ions, the working assumptions an tellectual product representing the European understanding of non- Roger Owen's were presented first at September 1972. Although each contribu- is t of sure that together they problem, They stand as indi that is only just beginning, to an argument hich as yet only a handful of anthropologists are seriously interested. (It should be noted that in over.a quarter of a century since it was founded, the ASA has never regarded colonialism as a topic worthy of a conference.) shes to thank the University of Hull for . Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropol |, without whose active help and constant encouragement the Seminar would probably not have taken place. It was he who canvassed Anthropology Departments in various Universities for possible contributors, and undertook most of the organisational duties in preparation for the meeting. ‘March 1973