The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXXXIX, Part 1-2 ... - Khamkoo

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tend to assume and .rcproduc.c the notion of
"peoples" as integrated autl stabk· su-.;k:tlcs. ln
hu:; concJus10ns to FeasliiJg. Klrsch suggested
that anthropology needed to shed the contines
or structur.al-func tionahsm cmbc.dckd in the
conventional ficJdwork IHCthodology. 1 - 1 InStead.
anlhropoJngy o;;hould become more culmroJ and
nlOI'l' hisLOrkul. ~xpan d its tcmpoml and "Patial
frnmt:works. and r.eoricnt itsd r from assumed
stability H'\ -- r~nges of stmcnmtl \ 1 arinbihty ar\d
cou1pan:Hivc analy~i~ he!.:tc3J become oppotnmities for negotiafing and
conlt'Sling :;udal :.ur.mgemcms and rn nJ.. . 1-tc
a l suqucstto n~ the e-thnOb'TMphic SUtlu ~ {\VhcLh\!r
lhey ''re 'rci'ti ' or non of 1he itutuntcrablc.
supposcdl ys~:pnr..Hc , nnd hnunclcd ethnic gn,,)ups.
It lS m lh i~ pomL m his analysts that he grmmdcd
his chum 1hm 1he "f:-1cts" of ethnography were
ch:.mgmg rmd he :lSSCrted th:.ll lhe vm·ious
accounts uf ··' tri bcs.' ·!'new I s l rue tu res.'
·societies· and the like .. were the product L11'
\Ve~acrn pret:onception" by the outsid..: llb­
!>tT\c r~.l : One imporwnl a..;pec:l of Kirsch';;
flpp(oa..:h to the issue.;;. at hand lm·,.>lvc:) u critiqut:
of l h~ k n owl~d g.; prudul.!cd by cunvcntionHI
~.:th n ugr.tp h ic lieldw()rk. imerpreHHions which
p m~t· ssc~ of ch ang.:,'';\~
Tht.: fo nt~ on worl