U69 Anthro 160 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Franz Boas, Fictive Kinship, Baffin Island

• School: WUSTL
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: U69 Anthro 160
• Professor: Childs Geoff

Document Summary

Misconception: a(cid:374)th(cid:396)opologists o(cid:374)l(cid:455) (cid:449)o(cid:396)k i(cid:374) the (cid:449)o(cid:396)ld"s (cid:373)ost (cid:396)e(cid:373)ote a(cid:396)eas a(cid:373)o(cid:374)g people (cid:449)ho ha(cid:448)e little (cid:272)o(cid:374)ta(cid:272)t (cid:449)ith. Reality: an anthropologist can study people in any society (rural, urban) in any country. Misconception: a(cid:374)th(cid:396)opologists a(cid:396)e o(cid:374)l(cid:455) i(cid:374)te(cid:396)ested i(cid:374) stud(cid:455)i(cid:374)g (cid:862)p(cid:396)i(cid:373)iti(cid:448)e(cid:863) so(cid:272)ieties. Reality: anthropologists are very interested in change (e. g. , impacts of globalization). Anthropologists often study trans-national processes (e. g. , those that involve migration and the flow of goods/information). Misconception: anthropologists observe the societies they study in a detached and unobtrusive manner. Reality: anthropologists become integrated in the communities they study: fictive kinship relationships, good data contingent on rapport; rapport contingent on acceptance, we understand that our presence alters situation. Yet must remain somewhat detached in order to retain objectivity: (cid:862)goi(cid:374)g (cid:374)ati(cid:448)e(cid:863) is (cid:374)ot a good optio(cid:374) Misconception: anthropologists only work alone, never in teams of researchers. Reality: team research is not the norm, but it is possible and frequent.