Decolonial Anthropology

Question 1

Sidney Mintz (1922 - 2015)

Answer 1

“Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History” (1985) => Spain, Portugal, England, France, and the Netherlands, established colonies in the Caribbean and the Americas to cultivate sugar cane on large plantations; Plantations were sites of intense exploitation and brutality; Wealth derived from sugar production fueled the growth of colonial empires and contributed to the expansion of capitalism; Indigenous peoples were often displaced from their lands or forced into labor on sugar estates; Global Trade Networks became dependent on sugar

Question 2

Talal Asad (1932 -)

Answer 2

Critique of Anthropological History / Malinowski
Anthropologists provided insights that helped colonial powers manage and control colonized populations, sometimes intentionally and sometimes inadvertently.
Example: Colonial governments used anthropological research to understand local customs, social structures, and political organizations, which in turn facilitated more effective governance and control over colonized peoples.
Anthropologists failed to account for the ways in which colonial domination and exploitation shaped social, economic, and cultural practices.

Question 3

Michel-Rolph Trouillot (1949 - 2012)

Answer 3

Critique of Boas’ Essentialism
“Savage Slot”
Emphasised the interconnectedness of cultures, particularly in the Caribbean, which has been shaped by centuries of colonialism, migration, and exchange = not isolated
Voodoo in Haiti emerged from various African ethnic groups brought together through the transatlantic slave trade, blending their religious traditions with elements of Catholicism imposed by French colonisers = it cannot be understood as a static “traditional” culture but must be seen as a dynamic response to historical conditions => a means of spiritual and communal solidarity, resistance against colonial authority, and a way to maintain a connection to their African heritage.
Focusing too narrowly on the specificities of individual cultures can obscure the broader structural forces at play
Political implications of anthropological knowledge production which contributed to broader systems of domination and inequality
European historians portrayed Haitian Revolution as a series of violent and chaotic uprisings rather than a coherent and successful struggle for freedom and self-determination, obscuring the full story of the struggle for human rights

Question 4

Faye V. Harrison (1951 -)

Answer 4

“Decolonizing Anthropology: Moving Further toward an Anthropology for Liberation” (1991) =>
Importance of considering intersections of race, gender, class, and other social categories in anthropological research;
Anthropology explicitly committed to social justice and the liberation of marginalised peoples arguing that anthropologists have an ethical responsibility to engage with the social and political issues affecting the communities they study.
Acknowledge their discipline’s colonial past and actively work to decolonize their research practices and theoretical frameworks, questioning the power dynamics inherent in the production of knowledge and striving to include the perspectives and voices of the people being studied, moving towards more collaborative and equitable research practices.