Parantropologia, indisciplina ou subdisciplina emergente? Debates sobre as fronteiras do conhecimento antropológico
No. 61 (2025-10-31)Autor(es)
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Luis Muñoz-VillalónUniversidad de Sevilla, Espanha ‒ Universidad Complutense de Madrid, EspanhaORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1727-3828
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Anastasios PanagiotopoulosUniversidad de Sevilla, EspanhaORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8043-6207
Resumo
O objetivo deste artigo é analisar criticamente a parantropologia, a fim de argumentar que seu principal valor não reside na consolidação de uma nova subdisciplina, mas em sua função como uma indisciplina que expõe as fronteiras políticas e históricas do conhecimento antropológico. O texto toma as pesquisas sobre o paranormal como um estudo de caso para explorar a relação tensa — e muitas vezes silenciada — que a antropologia manteve com as experiências anômalas. Metodologicamente, desenvolve-se uma análise teórica a partir de uma entrevista com o antropólogo Jack Hunter, cuja perspectiva é colocada em diálogo crítico com diversas correntes da antropologia contemporânea para desconstruir a aparente marginalidade do paranormal e, assim, evidenciá-lo como uma construção disciplinar deliberada. Conclui-se que essa indisciplina atua como uma abertura metodológica que nos obriga a superar o falso dilema entre ontologia e política. Ao levar a sério formas de agência semelhantes — mas não idênticas — às dos humanos, a questão do ser revela-se inseparável da questão do poder. Argumenta-se que essa abordagem é particularmente relevante em um mundo contemporâneo reencantado, no qual a transgressão das fronteiras da modernidade se torna um objeto fundamental de estudo. A originalidade do trabalho reside em ir além da descrição da parantropologia como um campo emergente, oferecendo uma reflexão crítica sobre os limites da própria antropologia. O texto propõe uma tese original sobre a política da ontologia e estabelece conexões — inéditas no campo acadêmico de língua espanhola — entre debates teóricos da tradição anglo-saxônica e as sensibilidades etnográficas da América Latina, um campo de reflexão que até o momento encontrou pouca ressonância em espanhol.
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