There is a lot more interesting going on this week. From the solely Canadian perspective view of definition of applied/public/engaged anthropology last week, we get more informed ideas from US, UK, Norway, etc. The number of anthropological faculties with American background (whether education or citizenship) has predominantly preceded those with pure Canadian background. Locals are now the real minority. It seems that the American have accomplished their academic hegemony in Canada, leaving no longer room for the nationalist view.
Historically, both US and Canada has similar timeline institutionalizing themselves. However, their expansion came with different reasons and it seems US was a bit ahead of Canada and sort of a cause of the expansion of anthropology in Canada. WWII marked anthropology a useful tool in US warfare combating the Nazi Germany. This view naturally continued to the Cold War. Huge funding from CIA bred a golden age of anthropological theory — the American Cold War School. Another side in Canada, the Cold War led the US to establish military base in Inuit habitat in North Canada. This directly unsettled Canadian government fearing lost of their land and people to the wealthy big brother, starting to invest funding in Anthropology for better governance first of the Inuits, then of other first nation people. At the same time huge drift dodger flee to Canada during 1960–1970s. Canadian were aware of the Americanization of the academia, even bringing out nationalist strategy, but the situation was irreversible.
Ethics are of great concern when talking about war. However, it seems nobody could find a real solution to it as we are all living in the iron cage of political economic system. We all do evil unintentionally, big or small, based on our place in the system. We can choose to do nothing to avoid mistakes, but mostly this is not valid choice. Moreover, we could do evils with good intention. Many things are beyond control of the individual. We can only try to be ethical as we can.
Baba and Hill mentions the homogenization trend of applied anthropology worldwide. I doubted but will be glad to see such global standard coming as fast as possible.
I have two question this week.
Firstly, the idea that “every version of an other, is also the construction of self”, can “every version of self, is also the construction of others”. I find the first echos to the anthropological approach to “see self from others”, and the later echos to design approach to “see others from self”, or to “utilize the trained subjectivity to construct others”.
Secondly, there are two different opinions about the split of theory and practice in anthropology. Baba and Hill argue how hegemonic power breeds two-tier anthropology and resource scarcity breeds one-tier applied anthropology. However, Trembly mentions “rapid cultural, technological or economic change” is related to this. To integrate both, nations undergoing rapid cultural, technological or economic change, heading towards a hegemonic power should have two tier anthropology. In this thinking, I assume that Chinese anthropology is now changing from the third world one-tier native applied mode to a two-tier theory and applied mode. This fits my understanding on Chinese anthropologist who are getting more interesting in integrating abstract theories, more than the previously applying.
Last but not least, I just found out that I accidentally inherited three books from Prof. Thomas S. Abler (1941–2019), which I found in the freebook corner in department building. One is Bronislaw Malinowski’s The Dynamics of Culture Change: An Inquiry into Race Relations in Africa, one is Clyde Kluckhohn’s The Navaho, another is Anish Kapoor’s Past, Present, Future. The books are so carefully cared for without any notes or lines or highlights, completely neat. I feel so much appreciated and I regard it as a special gift and a message from our old professor. Days before yesterday I felt like attracted or guided by something and went directly to the place, without detour or hesitation, although it was my first walking in the building. I should study very hard in return.
