Short Abstract

Ethnography, ethnology, and anthropology have taken on varied meanings shaped by historical, national, and academic contexts across Europe. We invite reflections on how these differences influence research priorities, meanings, and socio-cultural goals in diverse disciplinary settings.

Long Abstract

The definitions, boundaries, and roles of ethnology, ethnography, and anthropology carry multiple, sometimes conflicting meanings across various European scientific traditions. Arising from distinct historical, national, and political contexts and academic genealogies, and further shaped by the legacies of colonialism, nationalism, and their entanglements with the natural sciences and philosophy, these divergences have contributed to differing conceptualizations of the “scientific study of humankind” and “human cultures” across countries and intellectual settings. The varying interrelationships between these disparate but often complementary fields of inquiry reflect not only contrasting perspectives on their core purposes but also differing ideas about their socio-cultural roles and theoretical meanings. Today, these differences, most often rooted in political and historical processes, continue to resonate within academic institutions and research practices across Europe and beyond.

We invite colleagues to reflect with and beyond polarization on the diverse and often contested meanings of ethnography, ethnology, and anthropology within their own or other disciplinary traditions and historical contexts. Contributions may explore how these fields have been shaped by specific historical events, (trans)national contexts and networks, linguistic barriers and porosities, or the intellectual trajectories of individual scholars. We especially welcome reflections on how disciplinary boundaries and methodologies have shifted over time, and how debates on research topics, thematic focuses, methods, language and epistemic contexts of knowledge production have been reflected in these shifts. Such debates also surface in the names of the disciplines themselves, which are often shaped, and sometimes polarized, by academic and institutional structuring. Such reflections may contribute to reconsidering the place and purpose of ethnography, ethnology, and anthropology in today’s academic landscape, especially amid ongoing political, institutional, and epistemological challenges.

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