Nothing to Lose but Your Life - Term Paper Example

Anthropology and ethnography both claim to some kind of conceit or hubris, as these are rooted in some kind of unequal power encounter between the West (Israelis) and the Third World (Palestinians), and the viewpoint has always been one-directional, from the colonizer to the colonized, looking downwards. It is high time that anthropologists take the opposite view instead, from the viewpoint of the oppressed peoples of the world such as the Palestinians. It need not be a repetition of a colonial historical moment (Asad, 1973, p. 16) but now one of equality; what is really needed is a paradigm shift. 

The wonderful monographs, incisive insights, and extensive discussions of ethnographic studies should be applied to the practical realities of life, rather than being confined to readings reserved in the libraries of the academe and professional organizations. It somehow must try to fully understand all the feelings and frustrations of the Palestinian diaspora who have been rendered homeless and stateless (Amiry, 2010, p. 93). The question, then, is whether all serious anthropologists and ethnographers can be bold enough and visionary enough to really use all the knowledge they had gained to solve everyday problems and not just be confined to mere studies.