GurlGoestoAfrica

It is interesting preparing for my field study and project in Ghana while simultaneously taking my first development classes. While my project will be conducted under the main intentions of accumulating research and data for a written paper, it is still a preparatory process for my potential future in development. Therefore, it is helpful to notice the obvious similarities between classes, and how attempting to understand culture is inextricably connected to effective developmental changes and improvement in "third-world" societies.

On Tuesday, my Intro to Development teacher displayed a picture of three African children playing in water, unclothed. They all had large smiles, and seemed to be enjoying themselves. My class was asked if we could tell whether these children were in poverty, or qualified for "first-world" assistance. This question was impossible to answer from the cursory glance we were given into these children's existence. This scenario reminded me of the iceberg analogy. Anthropology, sociology, development, and related fields of study are complex. Surface observations do not provide the data needed to make judgements on a society, whether they be moral judgements or judgments about whether or not one should provide "assistance" or "opportunity" to another group of people. With each class I am being further impacted by the complexities intrinsic to ethnographic studies, and more convinced of the necessity of being careful to not be overly confident in my ability to extract accurate meaning from a foreign culture.

However, this does not trivialize anthropology or sociology in the least bit. I have experienced the scary mental break when one realizes that cultural relativism, and the inevitability of personal bias based on upbringing, means that certain conclusions are virtually impossible to find. Nevertheless, I also understand that ethnography, development, and other anthropological studies are more about the process than the product. Geertz tells us that we do not have to know everything to understand something. Those somethings are the reasons it is important to continue studying culture. To even get a feel for what lies beneath the surface on the submerged part of the iceberg is important, because it brings humanity closer, and provides the understanding that causes humane behavior.

(Random throw-in: I found this interesting satirical tumblr that seemed to reflect at least some of the sentiments from the "What Students Don't Learn Abroad" article. I do not necessarily agree with much of the harsh judgement displayed on this tumblr, but it definitely got me thinking and made me make a double-take on my intentions for going abroad to Ghana. http://gurlgoestoafrica.tumblr.com/ )