ABSTRACT:
As some of you may know, I will graduate the University of Washington in March with a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology, and some years from now I plan to get a Ph.D. in it. The heading of this post pokes fun at myself and other anthropologists: this is almost always how we title our papers, and in a way speaks to the characterization of anthropology itself. Anthropology is the study of mankind in all times and places, and it is the biggest part of my current studies. It consumes obscene amounts of my intellectual energy. Now to the meat of the matter. Being an anthropologist in the Social Science community is like being the Dr. Who nerd at a Star Trek convention. It's all sci-fi, but somehow you don't quite fit in with the rest of the group. I love being the Dr. Who nerd--not to denigrate the Trekkies, the Star Wars geeks, or the StarGate fans. It has occurred to me on more than one occasion that my choice in academic studies is ironic, and fitting... Certain connections can be drawn from anthropology and some aspects of my person...As someone who in many respects doesn't "fit in" quite as well as I could, I'm now normalized in the one Department that also doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the group. Today in class (Religion and World Politics with Professor Gill--I highly recommend it) anthropology was mischaracterized and criticized once again. I just laughed and shook my head; Isn't it just like an anthropologist to be misunderstood, I thought, when all we're trying to do is understand how these misrepresentations come about in the first place.
The heading of this post pokes fun at myself and other anthropologists: this is almost always how we title our papers, and in a way speaks to the characterization of anthropology itself. My very first anthropology instructor, Dr. Fortenbery, offered a short and very broad definition, which is the only one (there are more than one, all hotly contested) that I'll give out as an explanation to those outside the discipline. Anthropology is the study of mankind in all times and places. This is perhaps the one definition that's so broad that no "armchair academic" can possibly criticize it. Ironically, anthropological discourse is admirable for its incredible specificity and nuance of definition and attention to detail: we don't write thesis sentences, we write thesis paragraphs. Perhaps I will discuss other definitions of anthropology in later posts, but here I want to talk about something clearly more interesting and important:
Me. Specifically in relation to my field of study. I'm only half-joking when I say this is more interesting and important; anthropology is the biggest part of my current studies, and consumes obscene amounts of my intellectual energy. It is the most common lens through which I photograph the world, or to use another metaphor, my favorite pen for writing out my observations. Naturally, this blog has an anthropological tone to much of its content, although it is not by any means a field journal or collection of academic papers. (I'm a person, too, and I have a personal opinion and attitude for pretty much everything. It will be clear when I transition between analytic and evaluative commentary.)
Now to the meat of the matter. Being an anthropologist in the Social Science community is like being the Dr. Who nerd at a Star Trek convention. It's all sci-fi, but somehow you don't quite fit in with the rest of the group. Like the Doctor, Anthropology has been reincarnated many times (and yet somehow its death is always foretold), and like anthropologists, the Doctor is curious and open-minded about all mankind (or I suppose in this case, sentient-kind) in all times and places, in all social situations. He's often content to observe. He often muses philosophically. He has no real home, and he is a loner. So it is with my beloved discipline.
I love being the Dr. Who nerd--not to denigrate the Trekkies, the Star Wars geeks, or the StarGate fans. Well, to be honest my relationship to Star Wars is quite analogous to my relationship to the "rival" discipline of Sociology. Like Star Wars, I think Sociology is overrated and over-cited in pop culture--"heroes" of Sociology litter every social science magazine, and the newspapers and cable shows, too. You can find as many sociologists in pop literature as you can Han Solo on lunchboxes. And like the cult-epic space story, it has ideological underpinnings which, as a social scientist who tries to look at things as objectively as possible, really really annoys me.
It has occurred to me on more than one occasion that my choice in academic studies is ironic, and fitting. Certain connections can be drawn from anthropology and some aspects of my person: I'm left-handed, so the conventional scissors (conventional social science, you might say) never really fit properly, and I've always had trouble finding a spot at the dinner table where I wouldn't accidentally elbow somebody in the ribs or knock their glass over. As a Christian and (mostly) a conservative, I am a minority as well. One time when I was little I wrote an illustrated children's book about feet. And so, as someone who in many respects doesn't "fit in" quite as well as I could, I'm now normalized in the one Department that also doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the group. Eager in its consumption of knowledge and somewhat excessive in its nonverbal communication, it elbows people at the table and knocks their glasses over. Without pause, it may then gesture to the fascinating pattern the wine has made on the tablecloth.
Today in class (Religion and World Politics with Professor Gill--I highly recommend it) anthropology was mischaracterized and criticized once again---it was the most egregious of insults---to have a certain idea about culture (a poor one, of course) mistakenly assigned to anthropology instead of sociology, the real culprit. I just laughed and shook my head; I didn't even bring the issue to the professor after class. Isn't it just like an anthropologist to be misunderstood, I thought, when all we're trying to do is understand how these misrepresentations come about in the first place.
~Georgi Boorman
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