Paper short abstract:

A somewhat utopian view of anthropology is a world-wide conversation about humanity in all its diversity. This paper examines various arrangements between anthropologists and audiences, as well as comparable other genres of reporting and interpretation.

Paper long abstract:

One form of mutuality is sharing through conversation; one somewhat utopian view of anthropology is a world-wide conversation about humanity in all its diversity. In this paper I attempt to examine various possible arrangements between anthropologists and audiences, as well as comparable relationships involving other genres of reporting and interpretation. Here I draw also on my studies of the work of newsmedia foreign correspondents, and an interest in recent macro-scenarios of the type transforming into globally circulating collective representations: “the clash of civilizations”, “the world is flat” etc. In various ways the paper also touches on notions of anthropology at home (and not at home), anthropology as cultural critique, and the role and contexts of public intellectuals.