Textual Ethnography: The Art of Listening to Texts

Authors

  • Daniel Frim

Keywords:

Text, exegesis, cultural projection, cultural reconstruction, empathy, Northwest Coast, Bible.

Abstract

In this autoethnographic essay, I reflect on my efforts to move beyond the conceptual and aesthetic horizons of my cultural background via the analysis of texts produced within foreign cultures. I examine several relevant interpretive strategies, stressing the distinction between projective and reconstructive modes of exegesis. I then discuss the challenges that are involved in gaining an appreciation for the aesthetic and emotional qualities of foreign texts without misreading them in the hermeneutic framework of one’s own culture.

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Published

2018-06-17

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2018): Autoethnography – Integrating the Anthropologist

Section

Student Showcase

License

Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.