The ABCs of Motives: Toward a Language for the Motion Zeitgeist

Why should we consider an anthropology of motives? Because anthropologists see motion everywhere. The field has focused for decades on describing processes, practices, and action. This “motion zeitgeist” calls our attention to questions about why people act as they do—that is, in Burke's sense, to questions about motive. Motive claims are abundant in anthropological analysis, but they are often implicit, baked into our accounts of motion. Seeking to move beyond anthropological skepticism about causal inquiry, we attempt to bring this implicit anthropology of motive into clearer view. We sketch a tripartite heuristic. Sometimes anthropologists ( a ) adopt the motive claims of their interlocutors. Anthropologists can also ( b ) bracket motive by declining to assert claims about motives. Finally, anthropologists can ( c ) code motive, formulating motive accounts that stand apart from or refute actors’ own claims. We consider the dilemmas posed by each approach, seeking to initiate debate about how the anthropology of motive should proceed.