摘要：Abstract : Based on two recent books, Alban Bensa's La fin de l'exotisme and Emmanuel Désveaux's Spectres de l'anthropologie, this article tackles a logical difficulty of contemporary anthropology concerning the concept of culture. On the one hand, pragmatic anthropology seems to limit the relevance of the concept of culture to strictly singular (chose) practices. On the other hand, the analysis of the Amerindian case proves the strong coherence of a more general concept of culture, valid throughout the American continent. This article argues that there is no logical contradiction between the two positions. The solution for this apparent contradiction can be found if one ontologically elucidates the virtual nature of the concept - a position that enables the eventual conciliation of both semantic and pragmatic approaches. As an epistemological outcome, the article points at the fundamental role of interpretation in the comprehension of cultural sets.
