1.
This lecture is not going to be a history of visual anthropology
through the ages from the first picture to most recent documentary.
Other lecturers are planning to address some of the historical issues,
and the rest can be found in the reading list to this course or the
specific bibliography for this lecture.
I want to dive straight into concerns that are motivating anthropologists
at present.
2. My
lecture is experimental: I want to try using the medium to
articulate the message, and then see whether it works. It
would be rather depressing to lecture on visual anthropology without
using any visuals.
Feedback is gratefully appreciated, and you are all encouraged to send
me emails with further questions or comments: mt272@cornell.edu
3. I want
to try integrating visuals and text in this lecture without using overheads,
slides, handouts or Microsoft PowerPoint, so I have opted for an HTML
interface which will provide the structure for me to talk around.
4. This
lecture will address the pros and cons of new digital technologies.
5. I also
want to discuss the intellectual issues regarding the use of technology,
how new tools affect the way that we work, and the ethics of the WWW.
All this will be illustrated with plenty of examples.
6. We'll
then take a look at a couple of specific multimedia anthropological
projects: Digital
Himalaya which is based jointly here in Cambridge and at Cornell
University in the US, and also Napoleon Chagnon's CD-ROM on the Yanomamo.
