ACTION
ANTHROPOLOGY
R. C. Mitche
Applied
years.
II
anthropology
has been expanding
In the field of applied
anthropology
rapidly
in recent
the problem
There is a bridge to be built between the savage
and the civiliz~tion that is fnrc~d upon him; and
the anthropologist
can play his part in this social
engineering.
(Firth 1950:
399)
con-
The philosophical
simply
applied
basis
of action
anthropology
in the sense of being
"pure" research.
On the contrary,
derived
research,
must
from pure
compliment
priority
constructive
application.
which
is in accordance
people
involved.
is
Neither
that
is given
Increasing
and apply it in a
the value
structure
of the
It is his job to show facts - facts rooted
in the scientific
personal-moral
with
from
The job of the action
is to take this knowledge
manner
apart
research
compatible.
action.
is not
anthropology
and it is this pure
its practical
yields
anthropologist
improve
action
and both must be mutually
knowledge
anthropology
method,
judgment,
the conditions
not facts arising
and to explain
in which
a given
out of his own
how these facts might
"primitive"
people
find
themselves.
As opposed
to being predictive,
clinical.
No attempt
principles
directly
is made
Rather
be accomplished,
it is more
people
their
a design
make
data existing
at
of what must
of "if : then"
Nothing
is
anthropological
than a fixed "blueprint"
by the anthropologist.
themselves
anthropology
to apply general
to the body of observed
any fixed time.
derived
action
statements
is force fed; the
all the decisions
which
might
influence
future.
Action
political
anthropology
independence
researcher;
it depends
for support
rather
(Tax 1964:
25~)
requires
the "intellectual
that one associates
on university
the pure
and foundation
than those of a client
It also requires
with
and the
connections
or government."
the anthropologist
to take
anthropologists
deal with human
gist must be equipped
lives.
to face unusual
The action
demands
anthropolo-
and risks.
He
It is no wonder that this method of research has
not become common, or indeed fully accepted as
legitimate.
The stakes are high and the game
dangerous; but action anthropology is nevertheless,
quite ~n the tradition and spirit of general
anthropology, and promises to provide the best
demonstration of its meaning and its use.
(Tax 1964:2S:;t)
is perhaps
the most popular
in the United
States
manifestation
to date.
of action
anthropology
In 1948 this field-training
The effects of this contrast are great.
White
individuals, if psychologically
healthy and not
self-consciously
marginal, can engage in a sustained effort in a single direction over a long
period of time, and-here-is the crux - they can
do so more or less independent of their group.
In contrast, a Fox is guided almost exclusively
by his moment-to-moment
relations to others; he
bridles under long-term rigid work schedules; he
becomes listless in situations requiring isolated
self-direction.
(Gearing 1960:
295-29~)
Two major
break
attempts
this destructive
were made by action
cycle.
anthropologists
The first attempt
was via
to
This adumbrates the most significant distinction
between action anthropology and applied anthropology as ordinarily conceived.
It emphasizes the
right of Fox self-determination,
or as Sol Tax
bluntly puts it, the freedom to make mistakes.
The
Fox are faced with the need of making decisions
relevant to their future.
The function of the
anthropologist
is not to impose his awn decisions,
much less those of administrators
and other whites.
His function is to act as a catalyst, to help
clarify issues for the Fox and to make available to
them possibilities of choice which may not have
occurred to them, or which might not have been available to them apart from the programme of action
anthropology.
(Piddington 1960:205)
fact pure
action
research
is the starting
anthropologist
found undesireable
qther
unless
one sticks
The government,
funds,
must be prepared
by the people
examples
of action
others who
control.
be little
question
with
definition.
to obtain
to action
Sol Tax and
not always be the case.
anthropologists
cannot become
and be the controlling
mechanism
If action
in the Peace Corps,
regarding
and varied;
funds must mean government
of these funds are regulated.
influence
foreign
I disagree
feel that government
are many
means by which
I should hope that this will
had more
any concepts
non-governmental
which has excellent
of the government,
ment
anthropology
In this sense,
(2) that the
in question.
to a completely
I see no reason why action
and
to abandon
I feel, should not be completely
anthropology.
much
point,
part
by which
anthropologists
for example,
the effectiveness
there would
of this govern-
agency.
In the case of the hurricane
RaYmond
Firth,
food supplies
the Tikopia
stricken
in 1952, was successful
and regulating
made the final decisions,
for example,
government
Here again,
the government
handed
control
over to this
anthropologist.
The study of any such community
of a given
community
to firstly
to try and help them in their
be competing
cannot
in obtaining
their distribution.
that Tax speaks of, was unquestionably
action
Tikopia,
goals and wants
be solved by simply
requires
discover
achievement.
helping
the people
their goals and then
There will
and forces in the society,
educating
the people.
always
this
Here the
46
It is possible
for a people
and at the same time retain their
to live in a civilized
cultural
heritage,
society
if these
The results are proving themselves in an understanding of the problems of new nations, of North
American cities, even of the organization of
universities.
Indeed, the unique community of
anthropologists
of the world that I mentioned as
being now in existence was helped into being
directly by what was learned from American Indians.
The same understanding may some day help the peoples
of the world to achieve the common goal of peace.
(Tax 1964, 257)
Firth, Raymond:
1950, Human Types,
Ltd., London.
Thomas
Nelson
and Sons,
Gearing, Frederick; Netting, Robert McC.; Peattie, Lisa R.:
Documentary History of the Fox Project, 1948-1959,
University of Chicago, 1960, Chicago.
Keesing, Felix M.:
Cultural Anthropology,
The Science of
Custom; 1964, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.
Tax, Sol:
Horizons of Anthropology;
Company, Chicago.
1964, A1dine
Publishing
Piddington, Ralph:
1960, Action Anthropology; Polynesian
Society Journal, Vol. 69, Wellington, New Zealand.