A Chinese Case Study in Using Psychoanalysis for Ethnography

Authors

Maris Boyd Gillette, Haverford College

Abstract

In this article I explore a surprising conversation that I had with a Chinese Muslim woman named Sheng Lanying. Her persistent tendency to see images of Mao that were no longer present led me to examine how personal, emotional meanings informed her experience of nation-building. After providing basic historical context about the Chinese revolution, I present the conversation between Sheng and me. Then I discuss how anthropologists can use, and have used, psychoanalysis for ethnography. I next apply the psychoanalytic approach that I find most useful to Sheng’s memories. I conclude with a discussion of what anthropologists can gain from integrating psychoanalysis with ethnography.

Relational Format

journal article

Accessibility Status

Searchable text

Recommended Citation

Gillette, Maris Boyd (2010) "A Chinese Case Study in Using Psychoanalysis for Ethnography," Southern Anthropologist: Vol. 35: No. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/southern_anthropologist/vol35/iss2/5