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Papers by Shukti Chaudhuri-Brill

Research paper thumbnail of Calibrating compassion: how differences of scale impact humanitarian action in contexts of migrant reception and integration in France

Research paper thumbnail of The role of anthropology in developing the “culture concept” in public discourse

Český lid, 2016

A concept of "culture" lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to pu... more A concept of "culture" lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to public discourses regarding the identity and social integration of migrants, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other cultural 'Others' who seek a place in contemporary European societies. This paper interrogates these discourses, exemplifi ed through discussions about the integration of Romanian Roma migrants in France today, and suggests that popular ideas about culture do not correspond to the relativist and historically contingent stance adopted by most anthropologists. Instead, discriminatory positions toward minority groups are sometimes justifi ed using an outdated cultural evolutionary model; attempts to challenge this model, however, may result in the perpetuation of this same 'primitive'/'civilized' distinction. The paper also discusses how anthropological perspectives on culture are viewed with suspicion by researchers in the activist community and by some scholars in other disciplines. The paper poses the question, therefore, of how contemporary anthropological thinking about culture can contribute to these different discourses, and suggests ways in which anthropologists working both inside and outside of the academy can make their ideas about culture more accessible and relevant to public and other scholarly perspectives.

Research paper thumbnail of Úloha Antropologie V Rozvíjení „Konceptu Kultury“ Ve Veřejném Diskurzu

Český lid, 2016

A concept of "culture" lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to pu... more A concept of "culture" lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to public discourses regarding the identity and social integration of migrants, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other cultural 'Others' who seek a place in contemporary European societies. This paper interrogates these discourses, exemplifi ed through discussions about the integration of Romanian Roma migrants in France today, and suggests that popular ideas about culture do not correspond to the relativist and historically contingent stance adopted by most anthropologists. Instead, discriminatory positions toward minority groups are sometimes justifi ed using an outdated cultural evolutionary model; attempts to challenge this model, however, may result in the perpetuation of this same 'primitive'/'civilized' distinction. The paper also discusses how anthropological perspectives on culture are viewed with suspicion by researchers in the activist community and by some scholars in other disciplines. The paper poses the question, therefore, of how contemporary anthropological thinking about culture can contribute to these different discourses, and suggests ways in which anthropologists working both inside and outside of the academy can make their ideas about culture more accessible and relevant to public and other scholarly perspectives.

Research paper thumbnail of “We are no longer real”: Discourses on Roma Identity and Authenticity in the Czech Republic. Volume I of II

This dissertation examines the discursive construction of identity among non-traditional, urban R... more This dissertation examines the discursive construction of identity among non-traditional, urban Roma in the Czech Republic. It analyzes discourses on language, race, ethnicity and nationalism, drawing on research in anthropology and sociolinguistics, to explore how this identity is built around Czech and Roma folk and scholarly ideologies of 'tradition' and 'authenticity'. Fieldwork was conducted over a span of five years, using participant-observation, interviews, and discourse analysis of recorded speech at two educational institutions and with families in the greater Prague region. It is argued that contemporary discourses on authentic identity are leading to a reification of Roma ethnicity and language, although this form of identity does not correspond to the real-life situations of many urban Roma. Adolescent Roma resist these discourses using linguistic routines—which are independent of particular linguistic codes—in order to performatively enact their identit...

Research paper thumbnail of The Fires Within Us and the Rivers We Form

Teaching Anthropology

This paper is a creative, poetic and experimental intervention in the form of collective reflecti... more This paper is a creative, poetic and experimental intervention in the form of collective reflections and writings on Anthropology, as the discipline we have experienced and/or been a part of within the University. It is also a reflection on the process of how the authors came together to form the River and Fire Collective. As a collective we have studied, worked and taught in more than 15 universities, and the aspects we point to here are fragments of our experiences and observations of the emotionality of the discipline. These are experiences from different forms of Anthropology from Northern Europe and settler-colonial contexts including Great Turtle Island Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand. In a metaphorical manner we invite the reader to our collective fireside dialogues and reflections, to be inspired, to disagree or agree and to continue a process of transformation. The paper sets out to provocatively question whether Anthropology is salvageable or whether one should ‘let it bur...

Research paper thumbnail of Reflections on East and West: anthropology, decolonization, and teaching

Teaching Anthropology

I examine here the role of anthropology in decolonizing narratives of personal identity, taking m... more I examine here the role of anthropology in decolonizing narratives of personal identity, taking my own story as an example. I reflect on different aspects of decolonization between east and west: that of racialized identities in different national contexts; of disciplinary contrasts between European and American anthropology; and between that of eastern and western Europe. Drawing on Ingold’s notion of commoning, I discuss decolonizing practices through teaching anthropologically, using narrative as a method.

Research paper thumbnail of The Fires Within Us and the Rivers We Form

Teaching Anthropology

This paper is a creative, poetic and experimental intervention in the form of collective reflecti... more This paper is a creative, poetic and experimental intervention in the form of collective reflections and writings on Anthropology, as the discipline we have experienced and/or been a part of within the University. It is also a reflection on the process of how the authors came together to form the River and Fire Collective. As a collective we have studied, worked and taught in more than 15 universities, and the aspects we point to here are fragments of our experiences and observations of the emotionality of the discipline. These are experiences from different forms of Anthropology from Northern Europe and settler-colonial contexts including Great Turtle Island Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand. In a metaphorical manner we invite the reader to our collective fireside dialogues and reflections, to be inspired, to disagree or agree and to continue a process of transformation. The paper sets out to provocatively question whether Anthropology is salvageable or whether one should ‘let it bur...

Research paper thumbnail of Úloha antropologie v rozvíjení „konceptu kultury“ ve veřejném diskurzu

A concept of " culture " lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to ... more A concept of " culture " lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to public discourses regarding the identity and social integration of migrants, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other cultural 'Others' who seek a place in contemporary European societies. This paper interrogates these discourses, exemplified through discussions about the integration of Romanian Roma migrants in France today, and suggests that popular ideas about culture do not correspond to the relativist and historically contingent stance adopted by most anthropologists. Instead, discriminatory positions toward minority groups are sometimes justified using an outdated cultural evolutionary model; attempts to challenge this model, however, may result in the perpetuation of this same 'primitive'/'civilized' distinction. The paper also discusses how anthropological perspectives on culture are viewed with suspicion by researchers in the activist community and by some scholars in other disciplines. The paper poses the question, therefore, of how contemporary anthropological thinking about culture can contribute to these different discourses, and suggests ways in which anthropologists working both inside and outside of the academy can make their ideas about culture more accessible and relevant to public and other scholarly perspectives.

Research paper thumbnail of The role of anthropology in developing the " culture concept " in public discourse

A concept of " culture " lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to ... more A concept of " culture " lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to public discourses regarding the identity and social integration of migrants, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other cultural 'Others' who seek a place in contemporary European societies. This paper interrogates these discourses, exemplified through discussions about the integration of Romanian Roma migrants in France today, and suggests that popular ideas about culture do not correspond to the relativist and historically contingent stance adopted by most anthropologists. Instead, discriminatory positions toward minority groups are sometimes justified using an outdated cultural evolutionary model; attempts to challenge this model, however, may result in the perpetuation of this same 'primitive'/'civilized' distinction. The paper also discusses how anthropological perspectives on culture are viewed with suspicion by researchers in the activist community and by some scholars in other disciplines. The paper poses the question, therefore, of how contemporary anthropological thinking about culture can contribute to these different discourses, and suggests ways in which anthropologists working both inside and outside of the academy can make their ideas about culture more accessible and relevant to public and other scholarly perspectives.

Research paper thumbnail of Calibrating compassion: how differences of scale impact humanitarian action in contexts of migrant reception and integration in France

Research paper thumbnail of The role of anthropology in developing the “culture concept” in public discourse

Český lid, 2016

A concept of "culture" lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to pu... more A concept of "culture" lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to public discourses regarding the identity and social integration of migrants, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other cultural 'Others' who seek a place in contemporary European societies. This paper interrogates these discourses, exemplifi ed through discussions about the integration of Romanian Roma migrants in France today, and suggests that popular ideas about culture do not correspond to the relativist and historically contingent stance adopted by most anthropologists. Instead, discriminatory positions toward minority groups are sometimes justifi ed using an outdated cultural evolutionary model; attempts to challenge this model, however, may result in the perpetuation of this same 'primitive'/'civilized' distinction. The paper also discusses how anthropological perspectives on culture are viewed with suspicion by researchers in the activist community and by some scholars in other disciplines. The paper poses the question, therefore, of how contemporary anthropological thinking about culture can contribute to these different discourses, and suggests ways in which anthropologists working both inside and outside of the academy can make their ideas about culture more accessible and relevant to public and other scholarly perspectives.

Research paper thumbnail of Úloha Antropologie V Rozvíjení „Konceptu Kultury“ Ve Veřejném Diskurzu

Český lid, 2016

A concept of "culture" lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to pu... more A concept of "culture" lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to public discourses regarding the identity and social integration of migrants, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other cultural 'Others' who seek a place in contemporary European societies. This paper interrogates these discourses, exemplifi ed through discussions about the integration of Romanian Roma migrants in France today, and suggests that popular ideas about culture do not correspond to the relativist and historically contingent stance adopted by most anthropologists. Instead, discriminatory positions toward minority groups are sometimes justifi ed using an outdated cultural evolutionary model; attempts to challenge this model, however, may result in the perpetuation of this same 'primitive'/'civilized' distinction. The paper also discusses how anthropological perspectives on culture are viewed with suspicion by researchers in the activist community and by some scholars in other disciplines. The paper poses the question, therefore, of how contemporary anthropological thinking about culture can contribute to these different discourses, and suggests ways in which anthropologists working both inside and outside of the academy can make their ideas about culture more accessible and relevant to public and other scholarly perspectives.

Research paper thumbnail of “We are no longer real”: Discourses on Roma Identity and Authenticity in the Czech Republic. Volume I of II

This dissertation examines the discursive construction of identity among non-traditional, urban R... more This dissertation examines the discursive construction of identity among non-traditional, urban Roma in the Czech Republic. It analyzes discourses on language, race, ethnicity and nationalism, drawing on research in anthropology and sociolinguistics, to explore how this identity is built around Czech and Roma folk and scholarly ideologies of 'tradition' and 'authenticity'. Fieldwork was conducted over a span of five years, using participant-observation, interviews, and discourse analysis of recorded speech at two educational institutions and with families in the greater Prague region. It is argued that contemporary discourses on authentic identity are leading to a reification of Roma ethnicity and language, although this form of identity does not correspond to the real-life situations of many urban Roma. Adolescent Roma resist these discourses using linguistic routines—which are independent of particular linguistic codes—in order to performatively enact their identit...

Research paper thumbnail of The Fires Within Us and the Rivers We Form

Teaching Anthropology

This paper is a creative, poetic and experimental intervention in the form of collective reflecti... more This paper is a creative, poetic and experimental intervention in the form of collective reflections and writings on Anthropology, as the discipline we have experienced and/or been a part of within the University. It is also a reflection on the process of how the authors came together to form the River and Fire Collective. As a collective we have studied, worked and taught in more than 15 universities, and the aspects we point to here are fragments of our experiences and observations of the emotionality of the discipline. These are experiences from different forms of Anthropology from Northern Europe and settler-colonial contexts including Great Turtle Island Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand. In a metaphorical manner we invite the reader to our collective fireside dialogues and reflections, to be inspired, to disagree or agree and to continue a process of transformation. The paper sets out to provocatively question whether Anthropology is salvageable or whether one should ‘let it bur...

Research paper thumbnail of Reflections on East and West: anthropology, decolonization, and teaching

Teaching Anthropology

I examine here the role of anthropology in decolonizing narratives of personal identity, taking m... more I examine here the role of anthropology in decolonizing narratives of personal identity, taking my own story as an example. I reflect on different aspects of decolonization between east and west: that of racialized identities in different national contexts; of disciplinary contrasts between European and American anthropology; and between that of eastern and western Europe. Drawing on Ingold’s notion of commoning, I discuss decolonizing practices through teaching anthropologically, using narrative as a method.

Research paper thumbnail of The Fires Within Us and the Rivers We Form

Teaching Anthropology

This paper is a creative, poetic and experimental intervention in the form of collective reflecti... more This paper is a creative, poetic and experimental intervention in the form of collective reflections and writings on Anthropology, as the discipline we have experienced and/or been a part of within the University. It is also a reflection on the process of how the authors came together to form the River and Fire Collective. As a collective we have studied, worked and taught in more than 15 universities, and the aspects we point to here are fragments of our experiences and observations of the emotionality of the discipline. These are experiences from different forms of Anthropology from Northern Europe and settler-colonial contexts including Great Turtle Island Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand. In a metaphorical manner we invite the reader to our collective fireside dialogues and reflections, to be inspired, to disagree or agree and to continue a process of transformation. The paper sets out to provocatively question whether Anthropology is salvageable or whether one should ‘let it bur...

Research paper thumbnail of Úloha antropologie v rozvíjení „konceptu kultury“ ve veřejném diskurzu

A concept of " culture " lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to ... more A concept of " culture " lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to public discourses regarding the identity and social integration of migrants, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other cultural 'Others' who seek a place in contemporary European societies. This paper interrogates these discourses, exemplified through discussions about the integration of Romanian Roma migrants in France today, and suggests that popular ideas about culture do not correspond to the relativist and historically contingent stance adopted by most anthropologists. Instead, discriminatory positions toward minority groups are sometimes justified using an outdated cultural evolutionary model; attempts to challenge this model, however, may result in the perpetuation of this same 'primitive'/'civilized' distinction. The paper also discusses how anthropological perspectives on culture are viewed with suspicion by researchers in the activist community and by some scholars in other disciplines. The paper poses the question, therefore, of how contemporary anthropological thinking about culture can contribute to these different discourses, and suggests ways in which anthropologists working both inside and outside of the academy can make their ideas about culture more accessible and relevant to public and other scholarly perspectives.

Research paper thumbnail of The role of anthropology in developing the " culture concept " in public discourse

A concept of " culture " lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to ... more A concept of " culture " lies at the heart of much anthropological theory and is also central to public discourses regarding the identity and social integration of migrants, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other cultural 'Others' who seek a place in contemporary European societies. This paper interrogates these discourses, exemplified through discussions about the integration of Romanian Roma migrants in France today, and suggests that popular ideas about culture do not correspond to the relativist and historically contingent stance adopted by most anthropologists. Instead, discriminatory positions toward minority groups are sometimes justified using an outdated cultural evolutionary model; attempts to challenge this model, however, may result in the perpetuation of this same 'primitive'/'civilized' distinction. The paper also discusses how anthropological perspectives on culture are viewed with suspicion by researchers in the activist community and by some scholars in other disciplines. The paper poses the question, therefore, of how contemporary anthropological thinking about culture can contribute to these different discourses, and suggests ways in which anthropologists working both inside and outside of the academy can make their ideas about culture more accessible and relevant to public and other scholarly perspectives.