We, as anthropologists, observe and collect data and inform our fellow anthropologists on the nature of humanity and its many manifestations, but to what purpose does this endeavor serve? This accumulated wealth of knowledge, if let to gather dust, will surely fit a similar role of salvage anthropology. Saving the final glimpses of vanishing cultures in order to preserve and study these snapshots as a time capsule of humanity that once was. Observations are made, theories formulated, structures determined, but ultimately the result is merely academic enhancement. The express goal of anthropology is to study, not to serve humanity.
While not necessarily where anthropology will go, but where it ought to go is to make anthropology more accessible …show more content…
Outsiders looking in on the experiment, accepting that the observed is something different and describing the scene as best they can. On the other hand, continuing the zoo analogy, we can be Jane Goodalls and sit amongst the subjects. This approach allows for a closer and clearer image of what is occurring in the social realm of the society. But ultimately, there are clear distinctions between the observer and the observed no matter what side of the glass they are on. That is not to discredit the validity of these observations, but the lives of the subjects are most commonly voiced by the observer. This leads to the discussion of invention versus representation of cultures, as the story being told is often one-sided and can be shortsighted. By engaging with the society and providing outlets for individual voices to be heard, a sort of open-access anthropology will result in a much more informed and relatable cultural …show more content…
It is possible for anthropologists to begin looking into every piece of the chain along the globalized market, from the top to the very bottom. There are a number of studies concerning the impoverished slums of the inner city (Bourgois 1995), to the lavish lifestyles of the Wall Street bankers that run America (Ho, 2009). What remains, as far as I am aware, is a report on everything in-between. Thus, an ethnography of the middle class, as opposed to reporting on the limits of the economic spectrum, is in order to bring this previously unheard demographic to the discussion. As mentioned above, there is a need for emulation of Mead’s public-access anthropology, as a means of providing the public with common anthropological knowledge in an understandable and relatable way. For the foundation of what ought to be taught, I turn to Boas for his notion of cultural
While not necessarily where anthropology will go, but where it ought to go is to make anthropology more accessible …show more content…
Outsiders looking in on the experiment, accepting that the observed is something different and describing the scene as best they can. On the other hand, continuing the zoo analogy, we can be Jane Goodalls and sit amongst the subjects. This approach allows for a closer and clearer image of what is occurring in the social realm of the society. But ultimately, there are clear distinctions between the observer and the observed no matter what side of the glass they are on. That is not to discredit the validity of these observations, but the lives of the subjects are most commonly voiced by the observer. This leads to the discussion of invention versus representation of cultures, as the story being told is often one-sided and can be shortsighted. By engaging with the society and providing outlets for individual voices to be heard, a sort of open-access anthropology will result in a much more informed and relatable cultural …show more content…
It is possible for anthropologists to begin looking into every piece of the chain along the globalized market, from the top to the very bottom. There are a number of studies concerning the impoverished slums of the inner city (Bourgois 1995), to the lavish lifestyles of the Wall Street bankers that run America (Ho, 2009). What remains, as far as I am aware, is a report on everything in-between. Thus, an ethnography of the middle class, as opposed to reporting on the limits of the economic spectrum, is in order to bring this previously unheard demographic to the discussion. As mentioned above, there is a need for emulation of Mead’s public-access anthropology, as a means of providing the public with common anthropological knowledge in an understandable and relatable way. For the foundation of what ought to be taught, I turn to Boas for his notion of cultural