That is to say, I’m not confident in saying, “Yes, this is a strong work of academic anthropology and not Zora Neale Hurston trailing along with Voodoo practitioners and keeping a diary.” Now, are there different methodologies in anthropology, including one that allows the scientist to write what something appears to be and comment on it? Maybe! I don’t know. She writes, “The Haitian people are gentle and lovable except for their enormous and unconscious cruelty.” If you’ve studied in either field, even an intro class, please comment what you’ve learned! My point is in a number of places Tell My Horse reads like Hurston’s Western assumptions. I’ve been told assumptions ruin studies in sociology, but I’m not certain. What if they’re drinking tea, water, slipped in some booze, who knows, etc. What if they’re siblings, colleagues, ex’s meeting to talk about custody, etc. For example, if you see a man and a woman sitting at a table in Panera Bread drinking from mugs, you don’t assume it’s a couple having coffee. My understanding of anthropology comes from what I think know of sociology, which is you never make assumptions and you keep yourself out of the work.
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