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Contributions in Audio-Visual Anthropology

Vol. 23 (2018): Ethnographier les affects: captures, résistances, attachements

Relocating Florence Weiss’ Fieldwork Photography as Anthropological Practice

Submitted
November 13, 2020
Published
2018-05-01

Abstract

During her 17 months of fieldwork (1972-74) in the village of Palimbei in Papua New Guinea, the Swiss anthropologist Florence Weiss took 5 674 black and white negatives and 4 794 col-our transparencies. Although the photographs were not taken at regular intervals, the average number of approximately 19 photographs per day gives an idea of the presence of photography in her fieldwork practice. Yet, Florence Weiss was not considered – or considered herself – a visual anthropologist. So, what kind of practice does her photography represent, and what role did it play in her wider fieldwork practice?