Cultural Relativism & Anthropology
An assessment of cultural relativism & anthropology in 2011 as “Before you Judge, Stand in Her Shoes” dueled with “Don’t walk a mile in her shoes.”
politics
These blog-posts are about the intersection between anthropology and politics. They are often guided by the wisdom of Michel-Rolph Trouillot in Global Transformations: Anthropology and the Modern World.
Many people believe anthropology should have nothing to do with politics or that anthropology can only analyze political configurations but not contribute to them. Others believe that their academic anthropology job is their politics. Trouillot pushed for a middle ground, an academia that was not explicitly political while insisting that anthropologists should have academic projects outside of academia. As Trouillot once commented in a seminar, an academic anthropology job is not activism: “You can’t have your job and eat it too.”
Here are some classroom resources that might be helpful:
- The 2021 Intro-to-Anthropology class on politics using the textbook Anthropology: What does it mean to be human?
- The 2020 Intro-to-Anthro class on political organization using the textbook Through the Lens of Anthropology.
- The Cultural Anthropology 2020 class on politics and power using the textbook Essentials of Cultural Anthropology.
- This Anthropology 2017 class attempted to ask the question “Why does politics matter?”
Mismeasuring Gould
“The Mismeasure of Science” reassessed Gould’s “Mismeasure of Man.” In a climate of race resurgence and attacking anthropology, this was a horrible idea.
Are Perceptions of Anti-White Bias Increasing?
2011 article “Is Anti-White Bias a Problem?” revealed a delusion of perceived anti-white bias, but researchers deceptively argued it was new or increasing.
#EndFGM Together
Many commenters have described female circumcision as “torture.” Anthropology can respond without sensationalizing or approving.
War on Terror
With death of Osama bin Laden, how anthropology supports pursuing criminals, not blanket “war on terror,” and anthropology questions xenophobic nationalism.
Anthropology, Ambushed
Anthropology got in the news for a “F— You Republicans” e-mail. Can anthropology survive the ambush? On understanding conservative victimhood politics.
Racism Reality Check
The idea of “Race Remixed” was always questionable. Census numbers didn’t show remixing, but a racism of persistent inequalities and “probationary whites.”
Culture Doesn’t Matter
Does culture matter? Anthropology promoted culture, but the book “Culture Matters”–and David Brooks–reveal a perverted idea of culture.
Loving Anthropology
Loving anthropology for the questions it asks, the way anthropologists search for answers, and the importance of the answers to our world.
Anthropology Textbooks: Doubling down on culture?
Kottak and Gezon’s Culture uses a magazine-style textbook to double down on culture in anthropology. That’s problematic–culture is already everywhere.