Between papers, ideas, dreams, and bottles: notes on learning in an insurgent anthropology

Abstract

In this tribute, presented in the form of an essay, we share reflections on our respective processes of socialization as anthropologists as a process of disciplinary transmission within a lineage. In this text, we seek to highlight the common elements that shaped our respective socialization processes and that also form part of the way in which ethnography has become, for us, an appropriate practice for producing anthropology focused on lasting social impacts in contexts of critical inequalities. This shared connection was only made possible through our encounter during the process of anthropological learning, with Roberto Kant de Lima—Kant, as we usually call him—as our professor and advisor. Kant’s presence in our lives was a decisive factor in why we now find ourselves, both professionally and existentially, committed to working as professional anthropologists, using ethnographic practice as a means of understanding and theorizing about what we see and experience. We also believe that this practice stimulates critical thinking, as we remain committed to the daily missions of public universities in Brazil—in support of teaching, research, and community engagement—the fundamental pillars of universities. In dialogue with the conceptual, methodological, and institutional proposals of Roberto Kant de Lima, we acknowledge his legacy and honor his career in this brief tribute.