blogging and the "big men" in anthropology

Now, as a student you've got a certain way to look at "elders", "big men" or the like in your field. This is certainly true for me too but gets twisted in a funny way when one reads blogs.

For example Robert Borofsky was for a long time someone who had edited a horribly difficult book we had to read for an introduction into the history of anthropology... apart from that I didn't know much about him. Later I found out about a site he's got, called "Public anthropology"...and I liked the pictures there.

Marshall Sahlins on the other hand is the guy who wrote Two or three things I know about culture and Stonage economics, and one of our professors has got a lot of respect for him, which he certainly conveys in our lectures.

Now what changed for me is, that Sahlins is the chair on Alex' advisory committee and therefore I almost "know" him personally, or he seems somehow closer. Borofsky on the other hand was commented on in a funny way by John some time ago. He himself didn't seem to think that was soo funny and was quite offended by the post...they've had some trouble, it seems.

So I think blogging makes anthropology more fun, you get to know the human side of the "big men" and hopefully there'll be some women soon too!

Found later: more on this "respect" that changes:

Why join the AAA at all these days? You can usually get the journals online or from the library, the kerfufle about the 2004 meetings had something to upset everyone, and, believe it or not, some of us just aren’t interested in talking about the Yanomami any more. But AAA is where hiring happens, so people join because they have to, not because they want to.

source

Found at savage minds, an anthroblog that is definitely worthwhile reading (and gets people /Lorenz/me stressed out because there's too much to read *smile*), even if you're not an anthro-geek!