I’ve studied cannibals and I’ve studied hot dogs. And yes they are related and no they are not. From the vantage point of our culture, cannibalism is shrouded in mystery and is most certainly steeped in symbolism and tradition. From the vantage point of Papua New Guineans, hot dogs are most certainly shrouded in mystery and steeped in symbolism and tradition!
Behind the absurd truth in these statements lay the most important conceptual take away from anthropology: we all have culture. We all subscribe to a set of shared experiences (read: culture) that guide us in our lives, that define our behaviors, that situate norms — what is within the realm of normal for our society. All culture is guided by sets of symbols that contain meanings which act as signposts for what we do and more importantly who we are – our identity.
The deeper structure behind these symbols remains unarticulated by those within the culture. What anthropologists do is uncover those unarticulated deeper structures and connect them back to people’s behavior, the material culture they use, their language and their emotions. Critical to the whole anthropological enterprise is the understanding that….culture changes. Which means the reasons behind all that we do are made up. Concocted. Social constructions that over time take hold, appear wholly real, then dissolve.
So what’s the deep-structure behind cannibalism and hot dogs? That’s what anthropologists figure out for a living. Many institutions can extract value from gaining deep insight that an anthropological perspective provides. Today you’re as likely to find an anthropologist in academic and government settings as you are in private corporations.
And the answer to the deep-structure behind cannibalism and hot dogs? You are what you eat. Think about it.
January 31st, 2008 - Posted in Anthropology | |
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Hot dogs are not so far off
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