Structure of field in anthropological studies in Chile. Exploration of scientific production in Chilean specialist journals during the period of academic institutionalization (1954-1973)

Abstract

This study assesses anthropological production in Chile during a period which we identify as that of the field’s academic institutionalization (1954- 1973), and which saw the creation of the country’s first university departments and educational programs dedicated to the anthropological sciences. This research focuses on scientific works published in specialist journals in Chile. Use of content analysis and descriptive statistical techniques enabled us to determine the volume of production, establish the areas of knowledge covered, and identify the thematic tendencies and actors that contributed to the development of the discipline. This allowed us to establish a background upon which to base a description of the socio-institutional context in which research and knowledge production took place, as well as to define the morphology of the field and to identify the cognitive dynamics that distinguish the period. Findings suggest that anthropological studies in Chile are in line with the global tendency toward specialization in disciplinary areas, giving rise to an anthropology of adjectives or fission (Stocking 2002) and demonstrating the decline of the integral science model with its clear interdisciplinary tendency or vocation.