Cultural Anthropology

Paper Summary:

This paper attempts to outline and consider the differences and complexities of two different approaches to anthropological research. It looks at how both the "native anthropologist" and the anthropologist who attempts to view the culture from an objective perspective "outside" the culture under study, have a distinct responsibility to the subject of their studies and to the anthropological discipline. There are central differences between these two approaches, which become evident from an analysis of the specific sources. It also shows how the central argument that is put forward is that one method is not necessarily superior to the other, but that both have their own advantages and disadvantages.

From the Paper:

"Both "insiders" and "outsiders" face different problems, take on different methods in gathering information, and have different responsibilities to the culture at hand as well as the discipline as a whole. One school of thought is that the "insider" view allows for a more intimate and comprehensive view of the society without the interpretive distortion that might result from the imposition of another cultural perspective. However the "insider" or subjective method of study also presents its own problems. For the anthropologist to obtain a complete description of a society as an insider, he must become totally involved in the life of the people, which requires spending long periods of time with the study group. The subjective anthropologist must be extremely careful about building a bond of trust with the culture."

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