How Active Should Anthropologists be?
The work of anthropology entails observing in a participatory manner. An anthropologist should play the role of an outsider because his work is not to influence or change the culture but to collect data about the culture. However, certain situations require anthropologists to become activists. An example of such a situation is when culture is under threat. Goleman (1) explains a situation that threatened the culture of the Wanniya-laeto of Sri Lanka. The government of Sri Lanka decided to build a national park in the forested area where the Wanniya-laeto had been practicing hunting and gathering. The government also introduced the laws that restricted the community from hunting and gathering in the park area. Any member of the community would be arrested for pouching if the government found him on the land (Goleman 1). Such interventions are threats to human culture. The Sri Lankan community was the last remnant that had lived on the island for the past 28,000 years (Goleman 1), and anthropologists intervened into the matter as activists who protested against the government’s decision to change the land of the Wanniya-laeto into a national park.
Another situation where anthropologists can join activism is when cultural practices threaten human health through diseases. In “The Blood of Yingzao District,” the clear problem is the HIV/AIDS scourge. There are orphaned children whose parents have succumbed to the disease. In addition, the traditional responsibilities that the people in the district have towards their families and the villages expose the people to the deadly disease. I could deal with the problem by challenging the government to intervene into the situation affecting the people in the district. The orphans, for example, require the government’s support to get education and other basic needs. I would also make the community based organizations and NGOs in China aware of the problem so that they can intervene and help the community.
Works Cited
Goleman, Daniel. “Anthropology Group Takes Activist Stand to Protect Cultures,” The New
York Times, March 19, 1996. Web. October 31, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/19/science/anthropology-group-takes-activist-stand-to-protect-cultures.html
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