EN
The article discusses Vincent Crapanzano's position on the methods of anthropological research. This American anthropologist and literary scholar considers dialogue to be the basic instrument of fieldwork. He formulates a number of interesting observations about research practice. The main focus in the article is on Crapanzano's views on dialogue, which arose out of the polemic with the theories advocated by Hans-Georg Gadamer and Georg Herbert Mead. Crapanzano discussed the types of meetings with foreignness identified by Gadamer and pointed to the relation between the concept of symbolic interactionism (particularly with reference to the processes of communication and activities pursued by individuals) and the conditions of anthropological dialogue. Crapanzano's conclusions formulated on the basis of his own empirical experience have also been discussed. These conclusions pertain mainly to the self-awareness of dialogue participants, connected with the adoption of the self-reflexive attitude by them. The article critically analyses the accuracy and practical validity of Crapanzano's conclusions.