ANTHRO 9 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Participant Observation, Comparative Literature, Ethnocentrism
Document Summary
Use the basis of human nature to project understanding of anthropology. A need to become the others without prejudice nearly impossible. Anthropologists usually come to understand others for a reason forced to step out and reflect. Difference between how pp describe their experience in own terms and in social context and how objective observer views them. Pp are trained to have a certain perspective, own methods o produce knowledge and understand human nature. Even the way we view our own experiences may not exactly reflect the reality. No way to erase own historical and social background to become completely others. Anthro bring up pov from a community, not from an individual to generalize that of a societal reality. Sometimes native ethnographers are not even sure of their own cultural practices as well as the significance behind such peculiar exercises. Yet, there are ways to break down the barrier: becoming others to oneself [make the familiar strange]
