Anthropology Chapter 11 Summary

Chapter 11 (Deloria) discusses the issues surrounding anthropologists who observe Indians on Indian reservations. The chapter mentions that for an anthropologist the fundamental thesis is that people are objects for observation, experimentation, manipulation and eventually extinction. In addition, the chapter states that many ideas that pass for ‘Indian thinking’, are theories formulated by anthropologists. Additionally, every summer anthropologists flock to Indian reservations where workshops are conducted. Furthermore, one workshop discussed the thesis that Indians were in a terrible crisis, they were “between two worlds” people between these two worlds drank. Therefore, the young Indians began to think that real Indians drank, hence, they

This chapter also mentions that Indians are re-defined in terms that the white man will accept, even if it means ‘re-Indianizing’ them to fit the white man’s ideas of what Indians were like in the past. Moreover, anthropologists spend a lot of money studying a tribe, therefore, imagine all that money going to the Indians that needed it. This chapter mentions that anthropologists that desire to study a tribe should raise money and contribute to the tribal budget. I believe this proposal is very ethical and should be conducted in present day society. It is only fair that anthropologists raise/donate money to the groups of people they are study who are in need of drastic financial help. If anthropologists have the ability to report and study the issues certain groups of people are experiencing, they should also raise money for them since anthropologists spend a lot of money studying

Hughes was not very welcomed in Ireland after publishing her writings. In addition, after spending many weeks in search for an Irish speaking community that would accept/welcome Hughes’ field work for a year. She finally arrived in Ballybran, she argues that by studying the ‘madness’ she would be able to understand Irish society and culture. She also argues that rural Ireland was a difficult place to be ‘sane’ and normal villagers would be viewed as more ‘deviant’ than those individuals that were institutionalized. In addition, Hughes mentions that madness in Ireland was a social script, there was appropriate and inappropriate ways of going and being mad. The chapter mentions that Ireland adopted the European Economic Community thus increasing emigration and decreasing emphasis on farming. Thus, a new problem was emerging for rural Irish parents which was, how to keep at least one son for farming and taking care of old. This was done by farm parents create a sacrificial child who would inherit the farm. In addition, through shaming and ridicule the farm inheritor begins to accept his reduced role and life chances and beings to think that he is only as good enough for the farm and village lifestyle. The chapter mentions that anthropology by nature is intrusive and it involves some amount of symbolic and interpretive violence to the subjects’ own understanding of their world. In addition, at the end of Nancy Scheper-Hughes’