Book contents
- Not-Knowing
- Not-Knowing
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Paradoxes, the Weird, and the Impossible
- Chapter 2 Not-Knowing, Not Speaking, Negating
- Chapter 3 Trauma, Forbidden Knowledge, and Silenced Voices
- Chapter 4 Not-Knowing through Ritual Theory and Art
- Chapter 5 Facing the Limits of the Extra-Cultural
- Chapter 6 Resisting Interpretation and the Negative in Three Ethnographies
- Chapter 7 Monsters, the Void, and the Movement from the Uncanny to the Weird
- Chapter 8 The Excess of Sense and the Engagement of Wonder
- Chapter 9 From Not-Knowing to Not-Doing
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Chapter 2 - Not-Knowing, Not Speaking, Negating
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 July 2026
Book contents
- Not-Knowing
- Not-Knowing
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Paradoxes, the Weird, and the Impossible
- Chapter 2 Not-Knowing, Not Speaking, Negating
- Chapter 3 Trauma, Forbidden Knowledge, and Silenced Voices
- Chapter 4 Not-Knowing through Ritual Theory and Art
- Chapter 5 Facing the Limits of the Extra-Cultural
- Chapter 6 Resisting Interpretation and the Negative in Three Ethnographies
- Chapter 7 Monsters, the Void, and the Movement from the Uncanny to the Weird
- Chapter 8 The Excess of Sense and the Engagement of Wonder
- Chapter 9 From Not-Knowing to Not-Doing
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Summary
Chapter 2 analyzes the concept of not-knowing through various anthropological and philosophical perspectives. It examines how culture addresses the boundaries of knowledge and what transcends rationality. A crucial aspect of this discussion is the notion of blind spots, which connect to extreme experiences of alterity, and which are often challenging to describe ethnographically. The blind spot encompasses a wide range of knowledge-generating structures, including the natural sciences, but also, and particularly, the humanities, literature, and theology. The latter has, ironically, transformed its blind spot into a historically intricate discursive form – negative theology. The chapter contends that this theology of unsaying provides a platform for exploring diverse processes of not-knowing within religious contexts.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Not-KnowingAn Anthropological Account, pp. 45 - 65Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AAA
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The HTML of this chapter
complies with version 2.2 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), offering more comprehensive accessibility measures for a broad range
of users and attains the highest
(AAA)
level of WCAG compliance, optimising the user experience by meeting the most extensive
accessibility guidelines.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Visualised data also available as non-graphical data
You can access graphs or charts in a text or tabular format, so you are not excluded if you cannot process visual displays.
You can access graphs or charts in a text or tabular format, so you are not excluded if you cannot process visual displays.
Visual Accessibility
Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.