Off Stage/On Display - by Andrew Shryock (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Why are public identities so predictably, and often so radically, different from identities that flourish in realms of collective intimacy? Why does belonging to a group, knowing about it, or displaying its qualities to others require that certain aspects of identification be denied-not because they are false or stereotypical, but because they are thought to be accurate and indispensable signs of membership?

In Off Stage/On Display, ten scholars with diverse geographical, theoretical, and topical interests take a close, critical look at the vexed relationship between public identities and the intimate spheres in which they are made. They ask how scholars and activists can engage more creatively with problems encountered on this awkward terrain, which is now global both in location and political significance. Their answers, careful and suggestive, point to more effective strategies for representing aspects of identification that cannot be easily shown or, in an age of mass mediation, easily concealed.

From the Back Cover

Why are public identities so predictably, and often so radically, different from identities that flourish in realms of collective intimacy? Why does belonging to a group, knowing about it, or displaying its qualities to others require that certain aspects of identification be denied--not because they are false or stereotypical, but because they are thought to be accurate and indispensable signs of membership?
In Off Stage/On Display, ten scholars with diverse geographical, theoretical, and topical interests take a close, critical look at the vexed relationship between public identities and the intimate spheres in which they are made. They ask how scholars and activists can engage more creatively with problems encountered on this awkward terrain, which is now global both in location and political significance. Their answers, careful and suggestive, point to more effective strategies for representing aspects of identification that cannot be easily shown or, in an age of mass mediation, easily concealed.

Review Quotes

"The problem of intimacy and mediation is a fascinating and vital one for contemporary anthropology, particularly as more and more ethnographers come to engage with public cultural forms and processes. To the best of my knowledge, no other work has tackled this problem in such depth and from such a variety of perspectives. This work fills a significant gap in the literature on the ethnography of public culture." --Dominic Boyer, Cornell University

"This is a book of major importance in relation to the intellectual, practical, and political problems that have beset the field of anthropology. It recognizes the dangerous politics of cultural revelation, but insists that the alternative--the refusal to recognize cultural realities in favor of a bland discourse of identities--is unsatisfactory." --Sherry Ortner, Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University

About the Author

Andrew Shryock is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan.