In college, I took a couple of anthropology classes to fill elective and writing intensive spots. I’ve never been disappointed. This is something I’d love to be able to do but realistically can’t. Still, I’m always trying to cultivate my amateur anthropology skills and here are the reasons why.
Forget soap operas, some of the things you learn when studying anthropology are practically unbelievable -- yet, they’re true. There are stories, legends, practices, and so on, from different cultures, that you literally can’t believe, yet have to at least credit, because an entire population out in the world believes them.
Speaking of those stories, they don’t just beat any fairytale you can imagine. Many of them are the original inspirations behind all those fairy tales. The way anthropological stories can resound with some of your experiences is downright amazing.
No, seriously. I know this sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Like say, the things you find out about culture can really tie in with many of the things you know in your own life. And sharing that can lead to some very lively conversations. Even more than that--
I love a good discussion -- where you aren’t arguing, as is so common these days, but really trying to explain and listen and counter. This is a great subject for that. And no, it doesn’t have to be with a fellow student or anything. You’ll see.
If you are interested in learning about cultures different from yours, this is definitely the subject for you. Comparing and contrasting another culture with your own can open your eyes in a lot of ways. Every time you open your book, this is one time you seriously will learn something new.
Some of my favorite books are based in anthropology -- are, in fact, anthropological studies. Books about Mommie Lola, books by Alma Gottlieb and Phillip Graham: check out some of these, not to mention many others. They are highly awesome reads, in and of themselves.
This might just be me, but every anthropology professor I had was fantastic. This is something of a feat as well, because one of them taught an evening class, and I was notorious for disliking the professors teaching my evening classes on principle. These guys, though, they engaged in and started livelier discussions, they were more open minded, and they were cool. They’d done incredible things in their disciplines.
Just as my professors were open minded, their courses taught me to be. Honestly, learning another culture as completely as you can without being a part of it really makes you aware of different possibilities. That’s my favorite. It is possible to learn to accept something you never thought you would -- and the whole world could use a little of that ability.
I’m such a nerd, I know it. To be fair, I was not this enthusiastic about all, or even most, of my classes. Especially if they were in the evening. Still, I’m sure a lot of you can identify, right? Were you ever totally crazy about a subject, or one of your classes?
Top Photo Credit: Tous les noms sont déjà pris... pfff...