Idea Entry #1: Anthropology
Anthropology is defined as the study of humankind and their origins, throughout different places and times. Anthropology is a interdisciplinary science, however the discipline focuses in detail on cultural, biological, linguistic, and archaeological research. -Anthropology.net http://anthropology.net/about/
“An anthropologist often asks questions such as: How are we different and how are we similar? However, the philosophy is to go beyond ethnocentrism, the judgmental idea that one culture is superior than others. When each society's cognitive structure, rules of moral conduct and patterns of social interactions are placed in its own socio-cultural context, these become meaningful despite how "bizarre" or "strange" they seem to other cultures looking in. Unlike ethnocentrism, the concept of cultural relativism emphasizes that there are no superior or inferior cultures; all cultures are meaningful when placed in their own socio-cultural context.”- Yutaka Yamada Ph.d
Hamada, Yutaka. "Yutaka Yamada Ph.D. Anthropology Culture as Cognitive Structures, Rules and Interactions." Yutaka Yamada Ph.D. Bilingual Japanese Anthropologist Research on Japan, Cross-Cultural Training, Translation, and Tutoring. Web. 02 Sept. 2011. <http://www.anthja.com/CA3.html>.
“Anthropology is the study of human behavior. That exploration of what it means to be human ranges from the study of culture and social relations, to human biology and evolution, to languages, to music, art and architecture, and to vestiges of human habitation. It considers such fascinating questions as how peoples' behavior changes over time, how people move about the world, why and how people from distant parts of the world and dissimilar cultures are different and the same, how the human species has evolved over millions of years, and how individuals understand and operate successfully in distinct cultural settings.”- American Anthropological Association
"Career Paths and Education." American Anthropological Association (AAA). Web. 02 Sept. 2011. <http://www.aaanet.org/profdev/careers/Careers.cfm>.
Annotated Bibliography: Anthropology and Photography
Edwards, Elizabeth. "Introduction." Anthropology and Photography: 1860-1920. New Haven U.a.: Yale Univ., 1992. 3-15. Print.
This book examines a period of anthropological study from 1860 to 1920, particularly examining the effect of photography and other modern research methods and how they have forced the re-evaluation and scrutinization of historical materials in the same manner as this newer method of research. The book contains a group of essays exploring and explaining the effects of photography on anthropology and how they are parallel in their histories. It also contains several case studies as examples.
“The visual image is possibly the dominant mode of communication in the late twentieth century and its location, establishment and integration among traditional texts rightly exercises the minds of interested scholars and practitioners.” (pp. 3)
-The text goes on to say that as a result, scholars and practitioners are now scrutinizing historical materials in the same manner, examining the integration as evidence of the past among more traditional means of transcribing anthropological information.
“The second possible history stresses that photography. . . has always suffered moments of unease. Such unease can be conceptualized in a number of ways ranging from a recurrent tension between photography’s ‘iconic’ and ‘indexical’ status between art and verisimilitude, or a stress on the deconstructive lines of fracture which both underpin and undermine photography’s single-voiced authority.” (pp. 74)
-To be entirely honest, there is a lot in here that I don’t fully understand seeing as I have just begun to delve into anthropology in an academic sense, but it sounds to me like much of the same argument that photography is not art, etc, etc. This essay that the quote is from seems to feel that anthropology and photography have had parallel histories.
So how can I use this in my work? Anthropologists create studies and research thoroughly on the subjects they have chosen to make a study of. I like the idea of taking these disciplines and applying them to my work, choosing a subject and making a study of it. Perhaps I could choose a specific area to work and photograph within (a city block is one example) and then the work I produce is inspired by the area I have chosen to study, I could research particular businesses or buildings within the area.
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