1. Introduction Flashcards
Explain the double movement of Anthropology
On the one hand we open up and explore the possibilities of the human condition, what does it mean to be alive? On the other hand we have to makes these lives ‘legible’ and thus close it up again. We try to account for patterns/structures and complexities. Writing about the experienced, complex realities is imperfect.
What is an emic view?
This is the insiders perspective. It stems from the concept of immersion in a specific culture. Studies done from this perspective often include more detailed and culturally rich information than studies done from an etic point of view. It’s more in depth
What is an etic view?
This is the perspective of an outsider looking in. The researcher does not integrate themselves into the culture they’re observing. Data gathering by outsides that yield questions posed by outsiders
How can we define the third space that lies between tradition and modernity?
There are different views:
* It could be a space of marginalization
-> Mudimbe
-> hibridity: a complex interplay of cultural influences and identities
* Or a space of creativity
-> Bhadba
-> Creolisation: involves the dynamic blending of cultural elements resulting in a creation of something new, vibrant and distinctly creative
What is a palimpsest and how does it refer to the third space of culture?
A palimpsest is a piece of writing material that has been reused or recycled. It looks like you’re writing on a blank canvas but the original text is still there underneath the layers. It’s the same with culture, the tradition and old culture underlines the new cultures that emerge in the third space.
How can we define the ‘post’ in postcoloniality in two ways?
- Post as in a break with the past, something subsequent and clearly distinct from the colonial past
- Post as continuity, a period of growth, of reworking the past into the present
