Recent Developments in French Anthropology of France and the Role of the Mission du Patrimoine Ethnologique

The development of French anthropology since the late 1970s is chronicled, with specific attention to the role of the Mission du Patrimoine Ethnologique in Paris. An overview of this institution is presented & its endeavors to acquire grant proposals from anthropologists discussed. The author's role in establishing the anthropological journal Terrain, the journal's objective to educate both a public & academic readership, & specific issues addressed in various issues are discussed. Terrain's involvement in transforming French anthropology into a more comparative anthropology during the late 1980s is acknowledged. The journal is also recognized for encouraging scholars to adopt cross-disciplinary approaches to anthropological issues. The series of books published through the Mission du Patrimoine Ethnologique is listed. Despite similarities to the anthropologies of English-speaking countries, it is concluded that French anthropology developed internally. 12 References. J. W. Parker