Demonologi og sanseteori i tidlig moderne antropologi: Eksempler fra møtet mellom fransiskanere og Nahua-folk i Ny Spania (ca. 1523–1553)

Sammendrag

Inspired by the work of Arne Bugge Amundsen, this article explores the ruptures and continuities in the knowledge history of forms of cultural inquiry, like Anthropology and Folklore. The article deploys the Franciscan knowledge project in New Spain – particularly focusing on the works of Motolinía, Mendieta, and Olmos – as a case study. The year 1533 marks the beginning of a systematic collection of ‘antiquities’ (antiguallas) in New Spain. The material gathered from these inquiries, initiated in 1533, remains among the most important textual sources for Nahua culture. Can a theologically oriented protoanthropology with a strong demonological component also generate knowledge about culture? What was the conceptualization of culture held by the Franciscan chroniclers, who continue to be a primary source for pre-Columbian culture in Mexico? Furthermore, can the examination of such materials and cases shed new light on recent criticisms of the notion of culture, particularly within the context of the ontological turn in anthropology?