Culture, time, and the object of anthropology [1985]

N o w is the t ime of k n o w l e d g e . A s a l i fe-act ivity, k n o w i n g is c o n t i n u a l presence a n d process. B u t k n o w l e d g e can be k n o w n , o u r d o m i n a n t t r a d i t i o n seems to feel , o n l y t h r o u g h re-presentat ion a n d r e - p r o d u c t i o n , t h r o u g h s ign-systems, m o d e l s , l aw-re la t ions , or at least taxonomies w h o s e c o m m o n m i s s i o n is to create order. That w h i c h is to create order d e m a n d s chaos, disorder , c o n f u s i o n as its raison d'être. M y t h s w h i c h tel l the story of creat ion as a n i m p o s i t i o n of o r d e r o n t o chaos c o n t i n u e to l e g i t i m i z e , h o w e v e r remotely , o u r concept ions of k n o w l e d g e as w e l l as its p u r s u i t . I n a n t h r o p o l o g y , s t ruc tura l i sm, a n a m a l g a m of e m p i r i c i s m (the p r o v i d e r of chaos) a n d r a t i o n a l i s m (the p r o v i d e r of order) , comes to m i n d as a p a r t i c u l a r l y apt example . Just because it t a l k e d F r e n c h , s t ruc tura l i sm w a s b y n o means a n exotic b i r d i n the a n t h r o p o l o g i c a l menager ie . T h i s par t i cu lar order -out - of-chaos act b e l o n g e d to the same circus a n d p l a y e d u n d e r the same tent ca l led culture.