I have a master in anthropology, a subject which is surrounded by a lot of misconceptions. So I thought I’d try to break it down explaining what I think anthropology is, why is it probably not what you think it is, and why anthropologists often have the answers.
The A-word
My kind, social and cultural anthropology, is the study of people and cultures. So not biological, linguistic, or the archaeological. These distinctly different branches are often confused with one another. Nope, I won’t be solving murders like the lead character in Bones. That’s forensic anthropology.
So social and cultural anthropology. For me it’s basically modern storytelling, looking into how people interact, organise themselves, behave in social groups or what and why they create. Anthropologists listen to people’s stories and observe their actions in order to gain an understanding into what moves people and what shapes their surroundings. This information is gathered by research – conducting fieldwork and ethnography. This way of researching is qualitative research (instead of quantitative) and is all about human connections, not numbers. Anthropologists use interviews, objects, pictures, observation and participation to immerse themselves into their topic. The researcher is very much part of the research. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible to completely seperate the two. The discipline is honest about its relative objectivity.
Bad reputation
The history of anthropology is harsh and mostly racist. Anthropology started off as a study of the exotic and the colonised. But that was then. Luckily the study now has evolved much like our society has. Anthropologists are obviously part of our society, so it’s unfortunate that some people continue to think that it’s backward. So no, we are no longer studying the colonised. In fact, many of my peers are from all over the world, studying their own modern cultures, using the tools of research to explore empowerment, the role of identity, how to improve of living conditions, misunderstandings in war or other worthy topics. The only accusation you can throw at anthropologists is that many are sock-in-sandal-wearers or world-do-gooders.
Why did I say we could have the answers?
An excellent question. Anthropology is not backward and I’d even like to convince you it’s actually forward thinking. Anthropology, as a discipline, is all about gaining a better understanding of ourselves, others, society and the world we live in. Most sociocultural anthropological studies now focus on globalisation, urbanisation, emerging trends, technology and human creativity.* I like to tell the anecdote of a Belgian anthropologist who briefly lived in the same house as me in Ghana who did research on a roundabout. The Americans had apparently spent some development money on building a new market with solid stalls on the opposite side of the roundabout from where the current market is. But no one used it. The Americans were baffled – why not. The Belgian had the answer. Simple: he asked them. Turns out the ground the new market stood on hosts a group of ancestors they don’t want to mess with. So no, they’d never have used it to begin with. But no one asked them.
Who doesn’t want to gain more insight into what drives people, why they make certain decisions, and how they think things can be improved? Anthropologists talk to people, simply ask or work out the elements that answers those exact questions. So if you’re looking for answers, I’d say ask the anthropologists. They’ve probably asked about it already.
What does this all say about me? Well, I’m curious and fascinated by people, stories, society and creativity.
* Want to see a cool example of modern-day anthropology? Watch this talk from 2008 by a guy who researched the people and community on YouTube. It’s a couple years old, but still a good representation of my field.
Brain & Guts 