Introducing Polygot Perspectives

In this issue, we inaugurate a new section that we hope will make an important and lasting contribution to the exchange of anthropological knowledge: Polyglot Perspectives. In our new feature, launched in this issue of Anthropological Quarterly by Editor-at-Large, Michael Herzfeld, of Harvard University, we present essays on books written in languages other than English. In Polyglot Perspectives, scholars will discuss books written in Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Korean, among many others, as well as in languages, such as French, Spanish, and German, in which there are long traditions of anthropological scholarship.

In launching this new section, we acknowledge that, in many ways, the English language has been allowed to define the anthropological mainstream. We also acknowledge that in many disciplines, English has become the language of scholarship in countries where English is not the locally dominant language. Anthropology, however, is both a cosmopolitan discipline and one that seeks to recognize and study politically less powerful cultures and languages. AQ wishes to apply to our collegial relations the same ethic that we bring to our fieldwork. With Polyglot Perspectives, Anthropological Quarterly seeks to redress the imbalance while also expanding the scope of the journal's content.

We encourage scholars familiar with a recent work in a language other than English to submit a brief proposal, outlining the work's significance for an international audience. If the potential contributor has already been involved in the production of the work (for example, as a consultant or commentator), we see no conflict of interest. We are looking for much more than a conventional book review. Polyglot Perspectives will publish informed and substantial presentations that are original, provocative, and analytically powerful.