What Is Anthropology - Collaborative Methods of Representation

What Is Anthropology? ANTH 2301 Collaborative Methods of Representation When it comes to overcoming representational obstacles, a lot of anthropologists work in tandem with the people and communities they investigate. In cultural anthropology, collaborative ethnography has a very long history that dates back to the early ethnographies of Native Americans by European-Americans. A common practice among anthropologists starting their study was to hire a local as a field assistant or interpreter; this position typically developed into something much more cooperative. Anthropologist Alice Cunningham Fletcher first collaborated with a young Omaha man named Francis La Flesche while conducting research on the Omaha peoples in the early 20th century. As a result of their cooperation, La Flesche developed into his own ethnographer. La Flesche became a full coauthor of their combined ethnography, The Omaha Tribe (1911), whereas most anthropologists of the time only thanked their native partners, if they did anything at all. Anthropologists now work in a variety of capacities with the populations they study. Some include community answers in the published ethnography, and some incorporate locals as readers and editors of their work. Some hold focus groups to get local input on specific chapters. Some anthropologists host forums or community gatherings where they discuss the main ideas and consequences of their research. And some, like Fletcher, work on books and articles as equal coauthors with others in the community. By guaranteeing accuracy, encouraging diverse viewpoints, and aiming to increase the work's relevance to the communities under study, these techniques enhance ethnography. Working together also highlights the intimate aspect of ethnography. Rather than distilling ethnographic “facts” from the fieldwork process, a large number of modern anthropologists concentrate on characterising specific individuals, thought-provoking discussions, and collaborative activities they come across throughout their study. This type of depiction presents culture as a constellation of individual viewpoints, each influenced by the place that individual occupies within that group. Anthropologists increasingly recognise that the researcher's identity and personal history, as well as the research's goals and target audience, all influence ethnography. When describing their work, collaborative anthropologists often use the first person and are candid about the ways in which their cultural and personal prejudices affect their findings. Luke E. Lassiter, an anthropologist, studies the music and dance of modern Kiowa villages in southern Oklahoma in a collaborative manner (1998). Lassiter explains how his participation in the Order of the Arrow, a lad Scout affiliate, piqued his interest in Kiowa singing as a young lad. Lassiter attended powwows to get more knowledge about Kiowa culture and to meet singers, surpassing the shallow portrayals of Native American culture in Boy Scout lessons. He became good friends with well-known Kiowa musician Billy Evans Horse, who pushed Lassiter to pursue graduate school studies in Kiowa culture and taught him how to perform Kiowa songs. Rather than emphasising his own interpretation of Kiowa song and dance, Lassiter emphasises the unique perspectives and experiences of his colleagues in the community as they explain the composition, transmission, and interpretation of songs. In addition to being more truthful and moral, collaborative anthropology is also more politically and socially aware. When anthropologists work together on an equal footing, they frequently develop a political and social commitment to the wellbeing of the populations they study. Applied anthropology, public anthropology, anthropological advocacy, and engaged anthropology are some of the phrases used to describe this. Many anthropologists take a variety of actions to defend those communities' interests when they are engaged in conflicts over land, food security, healthcare, or violations of human rights. Anthropologists frequently take part in demonstrations, write empathetic ethnographies, testify in court, organise events, and work with groups that might offer financial support. In Yonggom, Papua New Guinea, anthropologist Stuart Kirsch was studying magic and sorcery when he started to worry about pollution from neighbouring copper and gold mining (2018). Kirsch got embroiled in the community he was researching's lawsuit against the mine's Australian owners as they organised to save their environment. He counselled solicitors for the impacted communities and added to a social and environmental impact research. He made statements to academic journals and the local media outlining the environmental issues the mine's pollution was causing.