A (Linguistic) Anthropology of Ambivalence: Exploring Discourses of Serbian Pasts, Presents, and Futures

American Anthropologist 2026

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Authors: Rachel George
DOI: 10.1111/aman.70053
Cited by: 0
References: 65

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ambivalence is a crucial framework for understanding the lived realities of ethnographic research participants in a wide variety of sociopolitical contexts. Using research at a high school in Belgrade, Serbia, as a case study, this paper proposes a linguistic anthropology of ambivalence. Drawing and expanding upon recent discussions of ambivalence in anthropology, the paper analyzes multiple types of ambivalent discourse, considers common themes across such discourses, and suggests some implications of centering ambivalence for core linguistic anthropological concepts.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Language and Culture Anthropological Studies and Insights Linguistic and Sociocultural Studies

Publication details

Journal / source
American Anthropologist
Volume
128
Issue
1
Pages
206–219
Publication date
27 January 2026
Language
EN