Being Human An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

9780130902962

0130902969

Preface This is an exciting time to be an anthropologist. Both the people anthropologists have traditionally studied and the context of anthropological research have changed dramatically in the past few decades. No longer is it possible for a lone anthropologist to travel to a remote area of the world to conduct ethnography among "his" or "her" people. There are no isolated areas of the world any more. We are all linked together by various kinds of technology, including satellite communications, the Internet, and international air travel. This means that the anthropologist no longer has exclusive access to an isolated group of people. Documentary filmmakers can be there first, and every schoolchild can then see a sensationalized account on "Ripley's Believe It or Not." As anthropologists no longer have exclusive dominance over this type of information, some are asking, "Is anthropology still relevant?" This question was echoed recently in a query from one of my students. I was describing the traditional lifestyle of the !Kung of Africa's Kalahari Desert when a thin girl in platform shoes, skintight jeans, and a bared midriff asked, "Is this information up to date?" The issue underlying this question was, "Is anthropology trendy enough to bother with?" After thinking it over, I replied, "The !Kung no longer live like that. But ethnographic descriptions of the !Kung will never be out of date. It's important that we know the full range of human possibilities. Otherwise, we might come to think that the way we live at any given point in time is theonlyway to live." In my response to my student, I found myself echoing the long-held anthropological wisdom that the reason we travel to the most remote areas of the world is to find out whoweare. Anthropology is the only scientific discipline developed for the express purpose of studying cross-cultural variation in human lifestyles. Other closely related disciplines are just beginning to recognize the importance of this research focus. Because anthropologists are 150 years ahead of the pack, anthropology is the discipline best prepared to study the rapidly changing contexts of the world's cultures. However, we must recognize the changing context of anthropology. We no longer have exclusive domain over access to a particular culture, and we must surrender the control that exclusive access to this kind of knowledge gave us. American anthropology especially is undergoing a transition that many experience as a time of crisis. In reality, we have entered the third great era of anthropology, loosely conforming to the century mark. In the nineteenth century anthropologists framed many of the concepts that still guide the field; the twentieth century marked the era of collecting data on apparently isolated groups; the twenty-first century is ushering in an era in which anthropology must become truly international, more than simply cross-cultural. The people we have traditionally studied are now claiming the right to study us, and in so doing, they are claiming full and equal participation in the intellectual community of anthropology. There have been attempts to internationalize American anthropology and break down the isolation of U.S. anthropologists from anthropologists in other parts of the world. The International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences is publishing a series of books that "document current theoretical developments in our discipline from a world wide perspective." Vesna V. Godina of Slovenia, Chair of the IUAES Commission on Theoretical Anthropology, asserts: "Anthropology is either truly international or not at all!" Anthropology is redefining itself on both the theoretical level and at the level of ethnographic research. Being Human: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropologyaims to be at the forefront of this revolution in anthropology and bring it into the classroom. From its incept