In a world increasingly sanitized by globalisation, the concept of conservation of ethnological heritage becomes ever more relevant. The process of French decolonisation generated new cultural perspectives. There was a growing perception that the cultural markers, which constituted the ethos of a particular group or community, deserved the same degree of recognition and protection as that accorded to natural diversity. The hazards posed by the growing tentacles of mainstream culture were also becoming increasing evident. It was in this context that the discipline of French ethnology was consciously forged and developed. The book covers the history and institutionalization of the discipline. The new dynamics invited fresh anthropological perspectives resulting in the opening up of the field of applied anthropology. The question of the transmission and mapping of savoir-faire, that universe of traditional understanding and skill, in a world transformed by industrialization, has al
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Denis Chevallier
Denis Chevallier, Ph.D. in ethnology, is currently chief curator at the Musee des Arts et Traditions Populaires in Paris. The Major portions of his publications are based on field investigation. This has enabled him to provide fresh insight into the processes of transmission and conservation of savoir-faire. He has also been an active participant in an institution, unique in Europe, the Mission du Patrimoine Ethnologique.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lotika Varadarajan
Lotika Varadarajan spent her early years in the Northeast, India and pursued her higher studies at the Universities fo Delhi and Bombay, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and University of Cambridge, UK. Her recent publications include Sewn Boats of Lakshadweep, The Rahmani of Kunhikunhi Malmi of Kavaratti: A Sailing Manual of Lakshadweep and Tradition and Transmission: Current Trends in French Ethnology, the last being jointly edited with the French anthropologist, Denis Chevallier. She is member of the International Committee of the ongoing series of International Seminars on Indo-Portuguese History. She is also aAssociate Member, Academia de Marinha, Section of Maritime History, Lisbon.
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