“Small Places, Large Issues”

An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology.

-Thomas Hylland Eriksen.

Questions:

1) What is the common “common concern” that all anthropologists share?

~Anthropologists have their wide range of interests, but the “common concern” they share is that when they understand different societies or a cultures they tend to see the similarities and connections.

2) What do you think Eriksen means when he says:

“ As an ethnical principle, however, it is probably impossible in practice, since it seems to indicate that everything is as good as everything else, provided it makes sense in a particular society. It may ultimately lead to nihilism”

~ Since cultural relativism states that we should view all cultures equally, Eriksen is trying to say that cultural relativism is important to follow but it may be ethnically and morally impossible. Although if a person’s belief is what they want, they may not see what comes and react which hence cause nihilism, which is a belief that life, is meaningless.

3) Paragraph response: Eriksen says anthropologists “warn against the application of a shared, universal scale to be used in the evaluation of every society”. (pg. 6) Why is this the case? To what extend do you agree or disagree with the approach? Why?

~Eriksen said this as every society has their own beliefs that they may consider to be accepted and important. Hence I agree to what Eriksen says since we should not judge or comment on a culture just because the culture we have been accompanied with doesn’t have the same ideals and beliefs.