TY - JOUR
T1 - Smoke and mirrors in Arnhem Land
T2 - What expeditions tell us about the materiality of crosscultural encounters
AU - Thomas, Martin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Martin (Edward) Thomas. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - By paying attention to the familiar, but under-scrutinized, socio-cultural formation that is an expedition, it is possible to understand better the materiality of anthropological research and of intercultural encounters more generally. A close reading of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land, in northern Australia, is contextualized by a set of broader observations concerning the history of expeditions and their significance to science, anthropology, and geographical exploration. The essay addresses the role of expeditions in distributing trade goods, paying special attention to the distribution of tobacco and its implications. The supply of drugs such as tobacco provides insight into the bio-chemical engagement with the human body that underlay the project of bringing science to an inhabited terrain.
AB - By paying attention to the familiar, but under-scrutinized, socio-cultural formation that is an expedition, it is possible to understand better the materiality of anthropological research and of intercultural encounters more generally. A close reading of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land, in northern Australia, is contextualized by a set of broader observations concerning the history of expeditions and their significance to science, anthropology, and geographical exploration. The essay addresses the role of expeditions in distributing trade goods, paying special attention to the distribution of tobacco and its implications. The supply of drugs such as tobacco provides insight into the bio-chemical engagement with the human body that underlay the project of bringing science to an inhabited terrain.
KW - American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land
KW - Expeditions–history
KW - cultural brokerage
KW - exploration
KW - museum anthropology
KW - tobacco
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85076435878&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02757206.2019.1695201
DO - 10.1080/02757206.2019.1695201
M3 - Article
SN - 0275-7206
VL - 33
SP - 143
EP - 164
JO - History and Anthropology
JF - History and Anthropology
IS - 1
ER -