In Defense of Anthropology
Feb 17th, 2009 by cmenzies
As an Indigenous person I have often been asked ‘why are you an anthropologist?’ The question is rooted in an Indiana Jones type image of anthropologist roving around the world stealing cultural objects and knowledge form indigenous peoples or ancient societies. But it’s not a depiction of the real world practice of anthropology as I practice it. Nor is it more than a shallow reflection of what anthropology may have been. Anthropology has had a problematic history filled with warts and blemishes. Nonetheless, as we recognize the ills of the past we need to affirm and build upon the strengths of the present.
As Indigenous faculty no one need tell us of the problems, the insults, and the injury that an old fashioned anthropology (or for that matter an old fashioned art history) suffered upon aboriginal peoples. But there is a positive and progressive side to that history that lends strength to our communities. There is a long history of Indigenous anthropologists in North America -people who take pride in the label of anthropology and anthropologist. One need only think of the likes of Dr. Bea Medicine or Dr. Alfonso Ortiz. There are also many younger colleagues who take pride in this term -anthropology. In British Columbia, my home and native land, anthropologists work alongside of communities and community leaders as our Nations retake control of our destinies and our natural rights and title.
My own work includes working back home in Prince Rupert and Lach Klan (the home village of Gitxaala Nation) and working in Western Europe. Back home my work has involved a contemporary anthropology that seeks to understand the importance and place of indigenous people as stewards of our own lands. We have done this through studies of natural resources, documentary film, field schools based on the ideals of service learning, and through expert opinion reports for legal proceedings. In Western Europe (France and Ireland) I have studied the capacity of household-based fishing enterprises to navigate through the storms of globalization and ecological crisis. I have published articles and produced documentaries on these subjects. In both settings my anthropological research -like most contemporary anthropologists- looks are real life contemporary problems and seeks to understand and solve these problems within a contemporary context.
Anthropology is no longer relegated to the so-called ‘primitive’ (if that term was ever an appropriate or accurate label). Contemporary anthropologists are as likely to study the organizational culture of large institutions, the movements of commodities globally, the art world as they are so-called small-scale societies. Anthropology is simply put the study of people.
Contemporary anthropology is also on the leading edge of collaborative research -in both socio-cultural and archeological sub-fields. The anthropology department at UBC is well acknowledged internationally as being part of this leading edge: from progressive collaborations with Musqueam Nation, to work being done by my students and myself with Gitxaala, and range of other innovative and progressive collaborations between colleagues and First Nations from across BC and beyond. This was commented upon by the President’s Advisory Committee Lecturer, Dr. Alison Wylie, in her talk “Legacies of Collaboration: Transformative Criticism in Archaeology” last week.
Anthropology is a discipline with promise and opportunity. Our department at UBC is one of the leaders of innovative collaborative research. It’s a tradition and a discipline that one can be proud to be a part of.
