Exceedance and E-duction: remarks on phenomenology and cultural anthropology

The aim of this essay is fostering a dialogue between phenomenology and cultural anthropology by addressing their complex interplay. In the first part the tension between anthropologism and phenomenology is explored, drawing directly from Husserl’s works the elements relevant to cultural anthropology. In the second part, the standard use of phenomenology within cultural anthropology is discussed as “e-duction” of phenomenology that accepts the anthropic limitation. This means that anthropologists employ phenomenological structures as scaffolds for the organization of their materials. In the third part, the developments of phenomenology in the Ontological Turn are analysed, examining the conditions necessary for establishing a minimal foundation through a critical use of phenomenology.