18 A handbook of cultural economics American society. His attempt to define an American vernacular aesthetic consistent with traditional anthropology's focus on the mundane, every- day lives of plain folk rather than the lives of the core elite. In his own way he is bringing anthropology back home. Just as early anthropologists found art in everyday objects such as the carved canoe prows of Melanesia, the hields from africa. or the bark cloth from South america this modern anthropologist finds art in the everyday lives of Kansas City residents. It exemplifies a long-standing anthropological value of finding high art in low places, using anthropology to dignify the lives of people by illustrating the artistry in daily life(for example, Sherzer, 1990, for verbal performance dis- course in Central America; McNaughton, 1988, for African blacksmiths Scoditti, 1990, for Melanesian canoe carvers; for a general evolutionary ap- proach, see Dissanayake, 1988) Where is the field of anthropological studies of art going? Anthropolog has a great deal to contribute to the study of art markets with the type of in-depth, thick description that the field has defined itself by. The primary challenge is to penetrate the mystery of value attribution in art sales. Given he social creation of value in art, how do the personal relations between dealers and collectors work to legitimize prices? Economics is incapable of resolving this problem; insight will come from finely grained ethnographic studies showing how the deal is done in a variety of contexts. The other arena where the anthropology has a unique contribution to make is in studies of the globalization of art. Anthropologists are uniquely positioned to advance our understanding of the general processes underlying the cul tural clash when non- Western art becomes successful in Western markets le look forward to new insights in the way this foreign art will affect our markets and how our commercialization and individualization will affect life"back homein the village, now that technology permits actors, infor mation and commodities to flow back and forth cheaply and easily. 1. And other like-minded social scientists in sociology, political science and psychology, but arely economics. 2. Many modern anthropologists elevate their respect for local knowledge into a claim of ral authority to represent the lowly to the powerful in the subject society (typically a marginalized sector of a wealthy country ). By combatin equality through 'speaking truth to power, these anthropologists hope to make the The goal is to counter the moral stain of colonialism which they: s twentieth-century hist art is politically incorrect as nothing primitive about the aes- thetic conception and execution of the work(Price, 1989) Chapter 24: Dealers in art: Chapter 30: Gift economy; Chapter 60: Visual arts.American society. His attempt to define an American vernacular aesthetic is consistent with traditional anthropology’s focus on the mundane, every￾day lives of plain folk rather than the lives of the core elite. In his own way he is bringing anthropology back home. Just as early anthropologists found art in everyday objects such as the carved canoe prows of Melanesia, the shields from Africa, or the bark cloth from South America, this modern anthropologist finds art in the everyday lives of Kansas City residents. It exemplifies a long-standing anthropological value of finding high art in low places, using anthropology to dignify the lives of people by illustrating the artistry in daily life (for example, Sherzer, 1990, for verbal performance dis￾course in Central America; McNaughton, 1988, for African blacksmiths; Scoditti, 1990, for Melanesian canoe carvers; for a general evolutionary ap￾proach, see Dissanayake, 1988). Where is the field of anthropological studies of art going? Anthropology has a great deal to contribute to the study of art markets with the type of in-depth, thick description that the field has defined itself by. The primary challenge is to penetrate the mystery of value attribution in art sales. Given the social creation of value in art, how do the personal relations between dealers and collectors work to legitimize prices? Economics is incapable of resolving this problem; insight will come from finely grained ethnographic studies showing how the deal is done in a variety of contexts. The other arena where the anthropology has a unique contribution to make is in studies of the globalization of art. Anthropologists are uniquely positioned to advance our understanding of the general processes underlying the cul￾tural clash when non-Western art becomes successful in Western markets. We look forward to new insights in the way this foreign art will affect our markets and how our commercialization and individualization will affect life ‘back home’ in the village, now that technology permits actors, infor￾mation and commodities to flow back and forth cheaply and easily. Notes 1. And other like-minded social scientists in sociology, political science and psychology, but rarely economics. 2. Many modern anthropologists elevate their respect for local knowledge into a claim of moral authority to represent the lowly to the powerful in the subject society (typically a poor, developing country or marginalized sector of a wealthy country). By combating inequality through ‘speaking truth to power’, these anthropologists hope to make the world a better place. The goal is to counter the moral stain of colonialism which they feel underlies the discipline’s twentieth-century history. 3. The term ‘primitive art’ is politically incorrect as there is nothing primitive about the aes￾thetic conception and execution of the work (Price, 1989). See also: Chapter 24: Dealers in art; Chapter 30: Gift economy; Chapter 60: Visual arts. 18 A handbook of cultural economics