Paper short abstract:

This paper aims at presenting anthropology as an exercise of love. As a face to face kind of understanding that promotes heart to heart conversations in post ontological turn worlds

Paper long abstract:

In the light of our recent 'ontological turn' (Holbraad and Pedersen, 2017), which set alterity in motion, and the field's long history with 'the other', I would like to propose that we imagine anthropologies:

1. in terms of love;

2. with Levinas and his ideas of 'face' and 'uniqueness' (Ibid.,1991);

3. exemplified in the way Clastres (1977) helped us imagine our neighbours' faces - and therefore made it possible for us to love them if we want.

4. and beyond us/them divisions.

More than our ethnographic methods and the much needed ethical reflections, what makes anthropologies anthropology is our beautiful intention to create dialogues, to look people in the eye and to tell stories that bring proximity.

The good of what we do lies not only in the plurals and empathy we make possible, but also in the attention and love needed to make sure we don't forget the faces, the people, the other, and what has been shared. The same love is also needed to remember them as neighbours, as equals.

What follows is a very modest, yet very passionate, attempt to imagine possible anthropologies that invite us to 'see heart to heart'.