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Perspectives on Integrating Ethnographic Film into Psychological Anthropology

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Afflictions

Part of the book series: Culture, Mind, and Society ((CMAS))

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Abstract

The chapter reviews different historical and theoretical movements in ethnographic film and psychological anthropology that provide a foundation for visual psychological anthropology (VPA). It traces 20th-century developments in popular cinema and documentary, attending to ethnographic film pioneers such as John Marshall, Robert Gardner, Timothy Asch, Margaret Mead, and Gregory Bateson; exploring relevant trends such as direct cinema and experimental ethnography; and drawing parallels to the methodology, main concerns, and trajectory of psychological anthropology—as reflected in recent theory—and ethnography, in the increasing concern with subjectivity, phenomenology, and textured individual accounts. VPA proves to be a synergistic practice that extends the toolkit of psychological anthropologists while offering an invigorating approach towards ethnographic film, even when depicting sensitive and fraught issues around mental illness.

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  1. University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Robert Lemelson & Annie Tucker

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Lemelson, R., Tucker, A. (2017). Perspectives on Integrating Ethnographic Film into Psychological Anthropology. In: Afflictions. Culture, Mind, and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59984-7_2

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