“You’re Just an Anthropologist”
A stupid phrase spoken by people who don’t understand anthropology.
I’m a generalist, when it comes to learning. But I do list my anthropology background in many cases, in part because anthropology is such a broad field of study. Unfortunately in many discussions, a background in anthropology is considered meaningless.
In my case, it’s even been used to disregard my position on various matters. Clearly people don’t understand what anthropology is. Anthropology is fairly unlike most other fields, in its scope and integration. And as a result, one might find an anthropologist that has something important to add to almost every conversation.
The Nature of Anthropology
Anthropology is a fairly new area of study, as a unified field. And it didn’t start off in a very dignified way. A lot of early anthropologists were armchair scholars, and many early archaeologists were little more than over-glorified grave robbers. Many early anthropologists had a rather negative view of tribal cultures, and saw them as inferior and little more than curiosities. Perhaps it’s for this reason that anthropologists aren’t given more respect. And yet, today anthropology has flourished into one of the most important areas of study, at least for those interested in understanding…
