Anthropology is the study of humanity. It studies the evolution of Homo sapiens and their gradual development over the years. An anthropologist is often seen an adventurer. The British anthropologist Nigel Barley confesses ironically that in anthropology, there is a tradition that the amount of physical suffering endured by a researcher measures the quality of his research.
[...] In this context, the example of Ishy, the last Yahi hosted by anthropologist Alfred Kroeber in 1911 is striking. It upsets his existence that was based on what was expected of him. It becomes an attraction, far from his usual environment, with attitude changes. This is obviously an extreme example since Ishy studied in a world that is not his usual while data collection takes place in the world and culture in which he studied. Despite the faults on the objectivity and reality of data, it is clear that the "participant observation" is the best tool to gather information on companies. [...]
[...] But the comparison of myths from different societies is instructive for understanding the social fact because the myths have a prominent place in social constraints. There are critics who put a veil on our analysis of our own society. Ultimately, ethnology can have a look away in the words of Levi-Strauss (French) on the myths that we have internalized. It is a way to detach in order to make a more objective view on the workings of our own society. Ethnology brings more than mere knowledge of traditional societies. It can open our eyes to what is hidden by the social constraints of [...]
[...] It is accompanied by a rapid transition from rural societies with an ancient culture and homogenous urban society, which live close to each other. For example a city like Paris, where it is obvious that one can distinguish different cultures within the same geographical area that are determinants of social class origins or influence. Ultimately, sociology seems to be much more appropriate for the study of industrialized societies because it has the appropriate tools for its analysis, especially quantitative tools and qualitative surveys or statistics. [...]
[...] This suggests that there is an overlap between these two disciplines. However, the object of ethnology in practice is rarely the study of any human group, but rather the non-industrialized societies that are old-fashioned or primitive features of traditional culture in our societies. A postulate of anthropology exists in practice and traditional cultures including non-industrialized societies differ in their nature to justify their study by a specific science. Anthropology is not a dangerous field of study as pointed out by, Nigel Barley. [...]
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