“Penned by anthropologists and historians alike, this collection of essays showcases the mutual enrichment of field and archival research for the understanding of colonial dynamics…The volume opens up some interesting ways to push the dialogue further and as such it is warmly recommended.” • Social Anthropology

“Crossing Histories and Ethnographies is a fascinating read for those looking for inspiration on how to apply an interdisciplinary approach in their historical or anthropological research. The book is primarily intended for Timor-Leste experts, who will enjoy the fresh empirical material and original perspectives on the country’s past and present.” • Internation Network for Theory of History

“This is an important book, a valuable book, and in many ways, a path-setting book that brings together an impressive group of contemporary social analysts -- from both a historical and anthropological perspective – in a focused consideration of Timor-Leste.” • James J. Fox, The Australian National University

“The volume offers a strong and interesting set of studies; it is coherent and of value to the ethnography and anthropology of eastern Indonesia specifically and southeast Asian and Oceanic anthropology in general. The introduction offers an excellent overview of the historical turn in anthropology… The dialogue of practice and method gives the book wider interest for all those concerned with historical anthropology, irrespective of the region in which they work.”• Nicholas Thomas, Director, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge

The key question for many anthropologists and historians today is not whether to cross the boundary between their disciplines, but whether the idea of a disciplinary boundary should be sustained. Reinterpreting the dynamic interplay between archive and field, these essays propose a method for mutually productive crossings between historical and ethnographic research. It engages critically with the colonial pasts of indigenous societies and examines how fieldwork and archival studies together lead to fruitful insights into the making of different colonial historicities. Timor-Leste’s unusually long and in some ways unique colonial history is explored as a compelling case for these crossings.

Series: Volume 37, Methodology & History in Anthropology

Subject: Anthropology (General) Colonial History Sociology

Area: Asia-Pacific

LC: DS649.5 .C76 2019

BISAC: SOC002010 SOCIAL SCIENCE/Anthropology/Cultural & Social; REL084000 RELIGION/Religion, Politics & State; SOC039000 SOCIAL SCIENCE/Sociology of Religion

BIC: JHMC Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography; JHB Sociology