Blind Justice Vs. Missionaries in Rowboats (Nov. 1999; Scanned Version)

d

B lin d J u s tic ev e rs u sM is s io n a r ie s

i nR o w b o a ts :aB a ttlefo rH egem ony

P a tric kH a ls to n

H is to ry4 8 0

D r.B a s k e r v ille

N ovem ber

24 I1 9 9 9

.. :

E a rly in R o n a ldW a lte rs 'a rtic le

'S ig n so fth e T im e s 'th e reis a s ta te m e n t

w h ic h , u p o n

e n c o u n te rin gi t , I th o u g h td iftic u lt to b e lie v e .W a lte rste llsu sth a t"a n u m b e ro f

to d a y 's s c h o la rs

p a s s e dth e ir u n d e rg ra d u a te

y e a r sb e lie v in ga n th ro p o lo g yt ob eth e s o c ia ls c ie n c ec lo s e s tt o

h is to ry "(5 3 9 ).T h is w a sth e o p p o s iteo fw h a t I w o u ldh a v ee x p e c te d .T h ec re a to ro f s c ie n tific

a n th ro p o lo g yw hosem e th o d sa n did e a s d e fin e th e

'p ro to ty p ic a la n th ro p o lo g is t'w a s F ra n zB o a s

(C a n to r1 3 6 -1 3 7 ).B o a sh e ld "th a ts o c ie tie s[w e re ]n o te v o lv in g.. .th e y

s im p ly [e x is te d ].

S o c ie tie s[w e re ]n o ttra n s fo rm in gth e m s e lv e sin too n ea n o th e r.T h isi sknow n

a s th e s y n c h ro n ic

(c o m p a ra tiv e )a s o p p o s e d to th e d ia c h r o n ic(h is to ric a l) v ie wo f s o c ie ty "(C a n to r1 3 6 ;e m p h a s is

m in e ).H is to rya n da n th ro p o lo g y-a tle a s tto e a r lya n dp ro m in e n ta n th ro p o lo g is ts-

w e re

a n tith e tic a l;lo g ic a le n e m ie s-h o w c o u ld th e yb ec lo s e ,in tim a te ,in a n yw ay?

W a lte rse x p la in s :

" H is to ria n sg e tth e ir a n th ro p o lo g yth ro u g h C liffo rd

G e e rtz ,a n dre fe re n c e sto h is w o rkh a v eth e

a p p e a ra n c e[o f b e in gu s e da sw in d o wd re s s in g ]a ttim e s "(3 4 0 ). W a lte rsd o e s

n o ts to pth e re ,

G e e rtz isc re d ite dw ith m anyu s e fu lin n o v a tio n s ,b u tI w ill,b e c a u s eI b e lie v eth is

o n ep o in t

s u g g e s tsa ne x p la n a tio nfo r th iso d dc o u p lin go fth e tw od is c ip lin e s .I suspect

th a ta n th ro p o lo g y

is a p p e a lin gt oh is to ria n ss olo n ga sth e y ta k e c a ret ok e e pa

c e rta ind is ta n c e-lik ew in d o w

w a tc h e rs-a n dn o t e n te rth e a n th ro p o lo g y

's h o p '. S o d o in g ,th e h is to ria ni sin tro d u c e dt oe x c itin g

s u rp ris e slik e"a n o b s c u ree p is o d e[b e in g ]m adet ore v e a lth e c o m p le x itie so f in te rc u ltu ra l

c o n ta c t"W a lte rss 4 I),w h ile

s till p la y in g to ,a n dth u s n o t d is tu rb in g ,th e "a n ti-th e o re tic a lb ia s

am ongh is to ria n s "(5 5 3 ).

In s id e ,h o w e v e r,c lo s et o th e h e a rtho fth e s to re ,a n dth e

B o a s n ia nh e a rt

o f th e a n th ro p o lo g ic a ld is c ip lin e ,h is to ria n scom eto oc lo s et oa n th r o p o lo g y 'sro tte n c o re

t o

a v o id b e in gre p u ls e d .

R o tte n is n 't to oh a rs haw o rd ,I th in k , b e c a u s eth e re a c tio no fh is to ria n s

w hom oveb e y o n d

d is c u s s ing G e e rtz 'se th n o g ra p h ic a l

w o rk o n th e B a lin e s ec o c k fig h tsa to n ere m o v e-i.e .

d is c u s s in gv irtu e so f th ic k d e s c rip tio na sa nid e a w ith o u tlo o k in g to o c lo s e ly

a tth e re s u ltso f it a s

am e th o d-is th a th is w o rk m ig h th a v e fo u l im p lic a tio n s .F o u l,a n d n o tm is le a d in gim p lic a tio n s ,

b e c a u s eth e h is to ria n sw h o d is ta n c eth e m s e lv e sfro m

G e e rtzd o th is m o re ,I th in k , th a nb e c a u s e

th e ys e em a jo rin c o m p a tib ilitie sb e tw e e nh is a p p ro a c h ,

a n dah is to ric a lo n e .I t is n 't th a tth e y

d o n 'ts e ein c o m p a tib ilitie s-m osto f th e s eh is to ria n sa c tu a llyg ofu rth e ra n d a rg u e th a tb e c a u s e G e e rtz 'sm e th o do f th ic k d e s c rip tio nis s ta tic ,s e e m in g lyc y c lic a l.itis th e re fo reu n re a l-b u tth e re is a d e g re eo fo v e rre a c tio nin th e ir re je c tio n o f G e e rtz ;ac e rta inam ounto f te s tin e s sd e te c ta b le

i n

th e ir re s p o n s e s ;

a n da ne le m e n to f d o g m a tis m c h a ra c te n z in g th e ire x p la n a tio no fw hatis r e a lly

tru e(th e 'h a r d ' r e a litie s :c h a n g e sth ro u g htim e ;p o litic a la n de c o n o m ics tru c tu re s )

th a tIb e lie v e

a res u g g e s tiv ea n dw o rth e x p lo r in g(B ie rs a c k :8 0 ;W a lte rs : 5 4 9 ).

I t is a si fp a rto fw h a t th e y a re d o in g in r e s p o n d in gt o G e e rtz

is s im u lta n e o u s ly

c o m p a rtm e n ta liz in go r c a g in g c e rta inth o u g h tsa r is in gfro m

G e e rtz 'sd e s c rip tio no f th e B a lin e s e

c o c k fig h ts-a na tte m p tto e re c ta

'h a r d ' b a rrie rt oa"d a n g e r,[th e ]a e s th e tic iz in go f a ll d o m a in s

[a n da ]tra n s fo rm a tio n[w h ic h ] c u ts th e s y m b o lic fre e fro mi t s

'h a r ds u rfa c e 'm o o rin g s "(B ie rs a c k

8 1 ).W hy?-p e r h a p sb e c a u s e ,a sW a lte rs n o t e s ,t h e r e is a

o 'c a u s efo rc o n c e rn. . . th a tth e rea re

d a n g e ro u sa n d p o litic a lly lo a d e dp re c e d e n tsi n h is [G e e rtz 's ftre a tm e n to fp o w e r"(5 5 3 -5 5 4 ).I f

s o ,th e n p e rh a p sit is n 't u n re a s o n a b let o w onderi f w e oughtt o m oveb e y o n d

a n a n a ly s iso fth e

g o o da n d b a da s p e c tso fp a rtic u la rd is c ip lin e s 'm e th o d sto w a rd sa na n a ly s iso f th e

m o tiv a tio n so f

s c h o la rsfo r c h o o s in go ra v o id in g p a rtic u la rm e th o d s .D o h is to ria n se m p h a s iz eth e im p o rta n c eo f

c h a n g eo v e rtim e , tra n s fo rm a tio n sth ro u g h p a rtic ip a tio n ,b e c a u s eth e s eth in g s a re in d is p u ta b ly re a l a n d re le v a n tor becauseth e y th e re b ya v o id th e d a n g e ro u sim p lic a tio n so fo th e rm e th o d s ? T h ep rim a ry c o n c e rno f a ll s c h o la rsis th e tru th .. .is n 'ti t ?