Piault, Marc Henri (1933-2020)

Anthropologist and filmmaker Marc Henri Piault (1933–2020) is one of the main representatives of visual anthropology in France. He conducted his first fieldwork in Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, and other West African countries, focusing on migrations, possession cults and state-building processes. His subsequent ethnographic experiences took place in France and Brazil. He led an ambitious reflection on the epistemology of visual anthropology and its writing processes, exerting his influence over generations of students both in France and in Brazil, especially at the University of Rio de Janeiro. Between 2004 and 2010, he chaired the Comité du film ethnographique (Ethnographic Film Committee, Paris). He authored numerous articles and books including Histoire Mawri. Introduction à l’étude des processus constitutifs d’un État (1970) and Anthropologie et Cinéma: passage à l’image, passage par l’image (2000) and directed several films, such as Yan Kassa: les fils de la terre, 1965; Mahouta: les bouchers du Mawri, 1967; Shan Kubewa, 1971; Akazama: intronisation d’un souverain, 1982; Les chemins de la soie, 1987; and Un jeune homme à la campagne, 1992.

Keywords: Visual anthropology | Reflexive Ethnography | Africa | Ghana | Ivory Coast | Niger | Nigeria | Brazil | Possession rituals | Migration | Cinema | Jean Rouch