As a Vietnamese-American, I have always assumed that being raised in an ethnic Vietnamese home has given me a solid understanding of how to be non-prejudiced or more understanding towards other cultures and religions. It isn’t always true. Some practices I’ve seen in my life I find morally wrong because they don’t match up with what I was taught or raised. After reflecting on the text under Objectivity & Morality in my textbook and the statements of anthropologist Nancy Sheper Hughes, I realize that it was a mistake to view other cultures as I had.
The section in question highlights Nancy Sheper Hughes’ views about her work in anthropology. She urges others to take a critical perspective on cultural practices, asking who accepts these beliefs and for what reasons and whether or not they are harmful. This method may also help one gain a better understanding of other cultures without overlooking power dynamics.
Even if you are trying to respect someone’s culture, it can be difficult for others, and yourself, to ignore an unacceptable behavior. In my daily life, there have been many instances when I’ve struggled to accept something that I found questionable. For example, while reading my textbook, I came across the cannibalism of the Wari tribe. I was very disturbed to find out that they ate the dead to remove painful memories and not bury them. When we learn that a loved one has died, we don’t usually think about eating them, as it is illegal in our country and has a negative connotation both from my culture and the western. Cannibalism is a practice that I personally find to be beyond the limits of cultural relativity.
Even though I know it is wrong to make moral judgments about another culture, sometimes it can be difficult to remain unbiased, particularly when I’m witnessing or listening to a custom that’s not something that’s familiar to me or that’s different from what my Asian-Canadian values are. The Sheper Hughes method of critical culture relativism has helped me to change my perspective on other cultures. Instead of focusing on whether I believe a culture is good or bad, I should think about those who are part of it and find out if their beliefs harm them. After reflecting on the readings from the textbook, I believe we all should agree that no culture should be divided into good and bad categories, based on the values we hold or desire. It is also wrong to think that one culture is better than another just because you find it more “correct”, “acceptable”, or whatever.
In this reflection, as well as the section in the textbook, I have learned that it is important to understand another culture – on their terms – and not judge or evaluate them using my standards. It is important to always question an event or a behaviour, even if I find it morally dubious. This will help me to determine if the event or behaviour would be morally acceptable or not. I’m curious if other anthropologists support or oppose Sheper Hughes’s approach in the textbook. If they use it, if it is something they believe in. I’m curious to know if the approach they use helps them perform their jobs more effectively, or makes it harder because moral judgements are not ignored.
