Wardle, Huon; Rapport, Nigel; Piette Albert (eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Existential Human Science, London and New York, Routledge: 275-284., 2023
In this article, I describe field cultivation work in two villages in South Central Niger. Furthe... more In this article, I describe field cultivation work in two villages in South Central Niger. Furthermore, I ponder on the historical factors that have shaped these working practices in this area. In doing so, I pursue three objectives. First, my intention is to develop further the anthropology of work in Africa, which has focused heretofore on the synchronic and systematic aspect of work by investigating the complex and multidimensional history of work practices in a specific African setting. Second, I want to show that the history of work practices in these villages should be conceived in Weberian terms, i.e., as the product of a criss-crossing of material bases, forms of social organization, political factors and culture. Third, my findings allow me to argue that the writing of the history of agricultural production systems in South Central Niger has not yet sufficiently recognised the role of cultural and religious elements that shape the development of field-cultivation practices.
In anthropology, decision-making has mainly been studied from two perspectives: from a rationalis... more In anthropology, decision-making has mainly been studied from two perspectives: from a rationalist and from an ethnographic perspective. These approaches lack a theoretical basis which would integrate their findings in a coherent manner. Taking inspiration from Tugendhat and Berthoz, this article argues that a way out of this impasse is to conceptualise decision-making as an action. At the same time, this conceptualisation allows us to establish a continuum of decision-making processes from simple through complex to fundamental, and to understand these processes as malleable across milieux, societies and cultures. This article also goes beyond this by discussing the decision-making process that led a Hausa villager from Niger to decide not to migrate. This discussion shows that the anthropological literature has largely overlooked a type of decision that could be called a ‘maturing decision’. It also sheds light on the role of emotions in decision-making and on the constitutive role of emic ideas about decision-making in these processes.
As a result of focusing on other themes, anthropology hasn’t developed sophisticated theoretical ... more As a result of focusing on other themes, anthropology hasn’t developed sophisticated theoretical tools to analyse individuals. The philosopher Ernst Tugendhat has proposed a theory of the individual. In this article, the author tries to fathom in how far Tugendhat provides a useful template for an anthropology of the individual. In view of this aim, the author tests Tugendhat’s theory with empirical anthropological studies, in which individuals play a major role, and with Albert Piette’s writings on the individual. By confronting Tugendhat with these anthropological writers, he shows that Tugendhat’s theory covers a significant part of how anthropologists perceive the individual, but he also identifies those points in Tugendhat’s theory that might need to be elaborated further. Finally, the author tries to show that explicit reflection on the nature of individuals enables anthropologists to give more differentiated accounts of individuals.
We speak of making a future, because a future is not only conceived of, it is not only a product ... more We speak of making a future, because a future is not only conceived of, it is not only a product of imagination, but it is also confronted and constructed through action, in a back-and forth process between actors and their environment. The processes that “making a future” consists of and the ways they differ between actors and societies, will be illustrated by the case studies in this special issue and will be become clearer in the course of this text.
U. Bauer, H. Egbert, F. Jäger (eds.), Interkulturelle Beziehungen und Kulturwandel in Afrika, Beiträge zur Globalisierungsdebatte, Frankfurt a.M., Peter Lang: 213-232, 2001
Tourneux, Henry et Woïn, Noé (eds.), Migrations et mobilité spatiale dans le bassin du lac Tchad, Actes du XIIIe colloque international du réseau Méga-Tchad, Maroua, Paris, IRD, CD rom: 555-586, 2009
Wardle, Huon; Rapport, Nigel; Piette Albert (eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Existential Human Science, London and New York, Routledge: 275-284., 2023
In this article, I describe field cultivation work in two villages in South Central Niger. Furthe... more In this article, I describe field cultivation work in two villages in South Central Niger. Furthermore, I ponder on the historical factors that have shaped these working practices in this area. In doing so, I pursue three objectives. First, my intention is to develop further the anthropology of work in Africa, which has focused heretofore on the synchronic and systematic aspect of work by investigating the complex and multidimensional history of work practices in a specific African setting. Second, I want to show that the history of work practices in these villages should be conceived in Weberian terms, i.e., as the product of a criss-crossing of material bases, forms of social organization, political factors and culture. Third, my findings allow me to argue that the writing of the history of agricultural production systems in South Central Niger has not yet sufficiently recognised the role of cultural and religious elements that shape the development of field-cultivation practices.
In anthropology, decision-making has mainly been studied from two perspectives: from a rationalis... more In anthropology, decision-making has mainly been studied from two perspectives: from a rationalist and from an ethnographic perspective. These approaches lack a theoretical basis which would integrate their findings in a coherent manner. Taking inspiration from Tugendhat and Berthoz, this article argues that a way out of this impasse is to conceptualise decision-making as an action. At the same time, this conceptualisation allows us to establish a continuum of decision-making processes from simple through complex to fundamental, and to understand these processes as malleable across milieux, societies and cultures. This article also goes beyond this by discussing the decision-making process that led a Hausa villager from Niger to decide not to migrate. This discussion shows that the anthropological literature has largely overlooked a type of decision that could be called a ‘maturing decision’. It also sheds light on the role of emotions in decision-making and on the constitutive role of emic ideas about decision-making in these processes.
As a result of focusing on other themes, anthropology hasn’t developed sophisticated theoretical ... more As a result of focusing on other themes, anthropology hasn’t developed sophisticated theoretical tools to analyse individuals. The philosopher Ernst Tugendhat has proposed a theory of the individual. In this article, the author tries to fathom in how far Tugendhat provides a useful template for an anthropology of the individual. In view of this aim, the author tests Tugendhat’s theory with empirical anthropological studies, in which individuals play a major role, and with Albert Piette’s writings on the individual. By confronting Tugendhat with these anthropological writers, he shows that Tugendhat’s theory covers a significant part of how anthropologists perceive the individual, but he also identifies those points in Tugendhat’s theory that might need to be elaborated further. Finally, the author tries to show that explicit reflection on the nature of individuals enables anthropologists to give more differentiated accounts of individuals.
We speak of making a future, because a future is not only conceived of, it is not only a product ... more We speak of making a future, because a future is not only conceived of, it is not only a product of imagination, but it is also confronted and constructed through action, in a back-and forth process between actors and their environment. The processes that “making a future” consists of and the ways they differ between actors and societies, will be illustrated by the case studies in this special issue and will be become clearer in the course of this text.
U. Bauer, H. Egbert, F. Jäger (eds.), Interkulturelle Beziehungen und Kulturwandel in Afrika, Beiträge zur Globalisierungsdebatte, Frankfurt a.M., Peter Lang: 213-232, 2001
Tourneux, Henry et Woïn, Noé (eds.), Migrations et mobilité spatiale dans le bassin du lac Tchad, Actes du XIIIe colloque international du réseau Méga-Tchad, Maroua, Paris, IRD, CD rom: 555-586, 2009
This study is some kind of experiment. Anthropology does not select a person in the field, try to... more This study is some kind of experiment. Anthropology does not select a person in the field, try to empirically research their present life, describe it, analyse it in theoretical terms and, as far as possible, explain it. However, this is the main objective pursued in this book. The field subject who becomes a theme in this book is Musa, a Hausa peasant from Niger. On the basis of an account of his present life, this book also tries to show that the study of individuals “as such” is a topic for anthropology which deserves to be investigated further and it tries to fathom what the contribution of a study which focuses on an individual “as such” might be for other fields of interest in anthropology.
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Papers by Jan Patrick Heiss