Is the study of anthropology biased as it is a western-centric subject with European views of other cultures?

Question

Isn't it tainted by the fact that it stems from the European age of exploration and compares all other societies to the European model? For example is it likely African based anthropologists to study European society and be published their findings in a scientific journal?

Answer 1

This is an issue that affected many anthropologists historically (and perhaps still does to some extent) but today they are aware of the issue. In fact, the concepts of ethnocentrism and Cultural relativism (judging others by your own culture and looking at how a culture does things from its own perspective) are two of the things that every anthropology student needs to know to pass the class these days. Besides - a large percentage of the anthropologists I know come from other places around the world (Japan, various meso and south american countries, africa, china, korea and Native Americans)

Answer 2

To some extent this is true. But you talk as if anthropologists are not aware of this bias. They are, and have been for quite some time. Anthropologists today do not simply compare other societies to the European model, and they haven't for decades. Europeans routinely study European culture just like they study cultures from other parts of the world.

Answer 3

The old european anthroplogists did do this and that is not surprising as to what passed for anthropology work then, but with their society in general it was not surprising to conduct such works.
Europeans can tell the truth of their history and 'fix' their books or another race can do it, but it does not matter who does it, if they are not going to do a thouough unbiased etc research, it has to be because they gave their life to that way of life and not because they had to or if they are only going to do one topic and not the ten that are involved.
So it will be interesting in a few decades to see how far research has gone. By anthropologists that is...

Answer 4

Each person who actively seeks physical evidence to explain the history of human development be it cultural, a time frame, technological, religious, and/or philosophical, and the way humans conducted their daily life in the past can be considered an anthropologist. However, to be recognized and accepted as a professional anthropologist requires prerequisite education. There are intelligent, capable, and successful anthropologists from all cultures from all nations. Sharing knowledge and collaboration with those who look for evidence that explains the sequential evolution of human lifestyle from ancient to fairly contemporary cultural expectations, results in greater accuracy.

Answer 5

There are literally thousands, if no longer thousands of attractive historical cultures to look at, Anthropologically speaking, and in basic terms as many "favourite" sub cultures, all the two interesting for many, many diverse motives, yet in my view, I even have constantly been intrigued with the Mound developers of the mandatory U.S. Their "shape" are the a number of maximum mind-blowing "platforms" interior the mandatory plains and large Lakes area in and around Illinois, Ohio, Missouri,etc. what's SO very interesting approximately them is that interior the a number of mounds there have been stumbled on truly extensive skeletal keeps to be of truly modern-day beings. Their stone artwork is the a number of maximum captivating examples of the Flint Knapper's artwork established interior the contiguous U.S. and all of us know fairly little touching directly to the definitely human beings themselves, as they're an distinctly mysterious human beings, equivalent to the Druids of the previous international, additionally established particularly by ability of their "Earth Works". The Mound developers are so attractive, in actuality, that Thomas Jefferson himself performed the 1st nicely-documented and scientifically controlled excavation in a sort of staggering Mound platforms.the everyone seems to be established variously as Adena Hopewell, Mississippians, Plum Bayou, etc.

Answer 6

My first social anthropology professor was from India. He studied New England fishing villages. Anthropology has come a long way since missionaries wrote of their impressions of heathen tribes.

Answer 7

Yes. Particularly the theory of evolution is against what is taught
in Hinduism and other eastern
religions.