What Else Does Anthropology Cover

On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 09:35:17 GMT, Ed Conrad wrote:

On 16 Sep 2003 15:51:51 GMT, okooks (Melisande
from CA) wrote to sci.anthropology:

Could you explain (or point me to an explanation
of) the terms "etic" and "emic"?


Etic - is an outsider's view of a culture.
Emic - is an insider's view.

These sound like simple terms, but when applied to something like the "culture
of households" they become problems. Some anthropologists even argue that each
gender has its own culture - so the only one who has an "insider" view of
womanhood, is a female (etc.)

Figuring out one's own relationship to a particular culture (am an outsider?
an insider? medium-sider?) is harder than ever. Once upon a time, it seemed
clear in anthropology when one was dealing with 'another culture.' That's one
reason why groups like the Yanomami/o remain so popular: everyone pretty much
agrees that your average doctoral candidate from the U.S. isn't a Yanomami
(with perhaps a couple of exceptions - there have been ethnographers who "gone
native.")

But I'd be interested in your views on whether you think men and women share
common cultural values about domestic work, or whether there are two cultures
involved.

I should have mentioned that the data anthropologists use in this arena come
from sociologists and economists as well, so it's an interesting
interdisciplinary effort.

Melisande

I stated thusly in a few other newsgroups -- but it didn't
make it here.

What a pity you had to go and spoil it!

But O've noticed that some of your posts are now turning up in the proper
place.


Steve Hayes
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm