Boundaries between History and Anthropology - Essay Example

? Anthropology Anthropology The knowledge of colonialism eliminates the existing boundaries that divide history and anthropology; and gives insight on boundaries cutting through colonial past and post colonial present. Therefore, through an anthropological perspective, which is reflexive, one is able to understand how ethnography is formed, used and supportive practices within it about travel. It is through the view of anthropology that one gets to understand the study of colonialism and the unique views that it commands and gauges. Anthropology entails the academic or professional process of studying humanity that is concerned with definition of humankind’s life and the community. In some cases, anthropology is into smaller units namely linguistic, bodily, archaeology and cultural anthropology. Therefore, anthropology seeks to understand the various facets of culture within a given society therefore reflects on the tools, techniques, values, beliefs, economic mechanisms, social institutions and struggles of prestige within any given societal setting (Pritchard, 1969, p.30). With a wider spec, applied anthropological study helps in solving modern problems. Anthropologists not only use colonialism as a historical object of observation but also as a technique of control, which emerged from colonial dialect. Anthropology categorizes colonialism in dissimilar ways. The anthropology of colonialism categorically seeks to determine contemporary anthropology in relation to the colonial background under which it emerged. Ethno history on the other hand, seeks to draw boundaries between history and anthropology, neo-Marxism and feminism for instance fuel economic interest of change and consequently in colonialism among the peasant societies in relation to their mode of production and form of economy. Anthropology of colonialism’s notions, through culture and method, has always turned out to have specific colonial functions or uses (Asad, 1973, p.5). Evans-Pritchard, in his book, “The Nuer”, indicates that society surrounding the Nuer people happens through groups and cattle. The Nuer is a pastoralist community residing along the upper part of the Nile. Their social structure was drawn from individualistic perspectives and lacked laws and leaders. Social order in society was maintained based on societal values and tribe orientation within a lineage system (Pritchard, 1940, p.9). From a scholarly perspective however, “The Nuer” is an intensive ethnographic study coined by Evans-Pritchard about the unusual and interesting people. To this people, economic relationships are of social nature hence everything that the people of this ethnic setting do, is bound by the factor that they belong to one community and they are therefore bound by their relation by productive system. Evans Pritchard, through his book therefore emphasizes on the lack of laws, government, political organizations and authority in the social systems of the Nuer hence a paradox in their political structure. He denotes that classification among these people is only in their relation to other political setups and it arises because of tribal hostility and aggression. This therefore means that, the availability of tension brings about sense of form. Because of this, social life therefore balances wrongs and individuals within the society. Through Evans-Pritchard’s writings, it is clearly indicating that through anthropologies colonialism should actually be analyzed as a culture, which has an origin from colonial control, which is set on a historical background, in this case, therefore, culture and history supplement each other in the manner in which they relate. In order to understand this interesting relationship, one ought to know the classifications and functions of culture through the history of colonial governments. Through the understanding of Evans-Pritchard’s work, we can deduce that anthropologists and historians in most instances agree that we all ought to be sensitive to contexts. The Nuer, therefore, joins cultural stereotypes from diverse contexts in the verge of inquiring whether and how much they are formulated in similar historical and colonial violence. Anthropology of colonialism in light with Evans writings the Nuer can be considered a historiography of modern times. Therefore, in conclusion, postcolonial societies are weaved from developmental regime constructed in the colonial past. Therefore, in order to disengage the current anthropology from historical colonialism, one needs to eliminate the boundaries existing between the two. In relation to anthropology, ethnography is the depiction of any given contemporary culture from a fieldwork perspective. Ethnography therefore entails anthropological research based on direct observation and reporting about particular people’s way of living. The process of ethnography involves too many stages which are, first fieldwork, this refers to the observation and recording of data, and secondly, description of written subjects of study. There are three main forms of ethnographic study in writing; these include auto-ethnography, reflexive ethnography and socio-poetics. These forms help in exploring the use of first person voice, the complications for being at one’s point of study and understanding of the appropriateness of literary forms of writing meant for utilitarian justification. Auto-ethnography for instance refers to an anthropological piece of work meant to involve the approach of a foreign social community to describe in terms of culture, practices, and their relationship with environment. In relation to tradition, ethnography was a way of looking outwardly at others to understand them. Through the in-depth detail, such account made the unfamiliar to feel familiar. In relation to this therefore, the main objective of this description was simply to allude. Ethnographers hence represent the “self” in the same way in which they represent the “others”. However, in most cases, the “other” in this case was used to identify the “self”. It is thus through such serious critics that the researchers started to experiment with varying forms of writing. Generally, the various genres such as journalism, drama, autobiography, poetry and fiction after being examined were found to contain high inspirational value. According to Newsmann, auto-ethnography helps in the explanation of culture and subjectivity hence bringing the social knowhow through which the complexities of the “self” cross borders can be dealt with on cultural grounds. Therefore in light with this understanding, of auto-ethnography helps in depicting situations in a powerful way and enhances the generation of a particular understanding of a kind that normal traditional research cannot. One can therefore deduce that, ethnography allows people to exercise their imagination even in situations they have not directly been exposed to before. However, in the same situations, one may have experienced similar circumstances thus such account help in enhancing his or her understanding of the experiences in question. Conclusively, therefore, it is correct to note that auto-ethnographies are a clear way of understanding oneself. Another form of ethnographic writing is socio poetic. This is a theoretic form of poetry, which manifests itself as social force. In relation to ethnography, it is used in researching within poetry formulations to understand any give social setup. In other words, it is a constructivist thorough which people understand the research participants as core researchers and together it helps to constitute a researcher group hence leading to the production of knowledge. The main basis of socio poetic is drawn on grounds that through research, an individual, gains strength and therefore he or she is motivated to go through the adversities hence salvaging one’s life. In its respect, one’s perception of achievement is important in relation to his or her construction of meaning and finding of hope in life (Thomas, 2001, p.73). Therefore, socio poetics helps an individual to understand the basis of suffering and through faith, one eventually manages to make sense out of effective relationships on which life is established. Just like auto ethnography, socio poetics help in production of knowledge through a variety of practices, by means of research and education hence practically transforming knowledge and ideas for better and in deep understanding. In as much as socio poetic and auto ethnography relate, on theoretical background basis, they greatly vary in terms of degree under which their creators explicate views and ideas presented in terms of commentaries. In this case, therefore, unlike auto ethnographies, socio poetics are linked to broader issues or debates and moral structures. Socio poetics are therefore undoubtedly powerful reflections of human life. Through existence and experiences, which aim at doing something to the readers, the nature of socio poetic depiction is aesthetically and highly emancipatory hence it greatly engenders an individual and social change. Finally, another form of ethnographic writing that is closely related to the two discussed above is reflective ethnography. This form of ethnography is strongly autobiographical and is generally designed to generation of change by people’s opinions about the importance of recognition of researchers’ involvement in the actual research process. One of the main functions of reflexivity is to provide people with a chance of examining a researcher’s own ethnical orientation in relation to its implication on the research process as a whole (Johannes, 2001, p.27). In conclusion therefore, it is observed that through the in-depth study of autobiography, people may come to realize and understand why it is valid and effective to use individual experiences in aiding our exploration of given topics and also using our personal experiences as a main source of research data. In relation to this, one can therefore learn that closeness does not necessarily have to lead to biasness, but in essence should understand that it should be employed to foster an enriched point of view or perspective that can assist in inculcating deeper understanding when presented to the readers at large. It is also notable that, qualitative research incorporates some degree of flexibility so that data is not necessarily presented accurately in relation to reality, thus its accounts are not based on pretence grounds of objectiveness but as an indication of social reality. This is to say that deductions from such a research procedure are generally neutral and they are inferred necessarily based on factual grounds by an unseen observer. References Pritchard, E. (1940). The Nuer: A Description of the Modes of Livelihood and Political Institutions of a Nilotic People. Oxford, OX: Clarendon. Pritchard, E. (1969). Social Anthropology. London, LDN: Routledge. Thomas, B. (2001). The Dictionary of Anthropology. London, LDN: Blackwell. Johannes, F. (1983). Time and the Other: How Anthropology Makes Its Object. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. Asad, T. (1973). Introduction to Anthropology and the Colonial Encounter. New York, NY: Humanity Books. Read More