Gradhiva
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Gradhiva is an anthropological and museological journal, founded in 1986 by the poet and social scientist Michel Leiris and by the anthropologist Jean Jamin, currently published by the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris.
Its title derives from a novel by Wilhelm Jensen (Gradiva) which was the base for a famous investigation by S. Freud, and that strongly inspired the Surrealists. Leiris ans Jamin inserted an “H” in the word to highlight that the journal focused on the History of anthropology, and that the editing was localised at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, France. The title became thus an acronym of “Groupe de Recherches et d’Analyses Documentaires sur l’HIstoire et les Variations de l’Anthropologie” (Group of Research and Documentary Analyses of the History and Variations of Anthropology). It was edited by Jean Jamin between 1986 and 1996, and from 1996 to 2006, by Françoise Zonabend. Erwan Dianteill has been the editor of Gradhiva since 2006.
Initially dedicated to the history and the archives of anthropology, it has maintained its original vocation, yet today opens up to a greater extent to contemporary developments of anthropology and museology. Based on original examinations and the publication of archives, Gradhiva is open to a variety of disciplines: ethnology, aesthetics, history, art history, sociology, literature or even music. Finally, it seeks to develop an interaction between the text and the image through a high quality and original iconography.
In 2007, the anthropologist Sally Price ended her review article on Gradhiva in The Museum Anthropology Review as follows : "For anyone who’s interested in anthropology, history, and museums, this journal remains an essential resource, rich in its articles and beautiful in its presentation".