The Politics of Representation in Modern Anthropology

Potentially Dangerous Implications for Anthropology

By Maximilian Forte

In his 1988 article, South African anthropologist Adam Kuper (born in 1941) critiques "nativism." He defines nativism as a form of anthropology that seeks to rid itself of colonial ambitions to occupy the representational territory of others. This represents a "decolonialized" anthropology—similar to colonialists resigning and withdrawing from territories they had settled—rather than a decolonized anthropology, which can carry various other meanings.

The Case for Cosmopolitan Anthropology

Kuper argues for a "cosmopolitan anthropology" to rescue the collapsing discipline from what he perceives as hostile ethnic critics. However, he fails to mention that for a century, the American Anthropological Association (AAA) had no section for indigenous anthropologists. Maximilian Forte refers to Kuper’s cosmopolitan anthropology as "ironic cosmopolitanism" because of this specific omission.

The Rise of Indigenous Anthropologists

The American anthropological discipline, built on the contributions of Native Americans, finally provided them a distinct space within the AAA a century after its founding. Indigenous anthropologists won approval from the AAA to form a section on December 5, 2007, which is now named the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists. Kuper emphasizes that the debates taking place are primarily American debates.

The Authority to Represent Others

Kuper disapproves of the lack of debate regarding the "authority" of anthropologists to represent others (noting that this context was established in 1988). He describes a specific paradox:

• On one hand: Post-modernists preferred the image of a "cacophony of voices" where anthropologists speak for themselves and about each other. They argued that the rhetorical performance of the ethnographer was a trick—an exercise in persuasion—and the critic’s job was to unmask it.
• On the other hand: The natives had to be given their unedited say.

The Role of the Ethnographer

Within this framework, the ethnographer is assigned specific duties:

• The duty to bear witness for the natives without imposing an editorial voice.
• Acting as a facilitator for native autobiographers or for oral histories.
• Serving as a medium who translates and publishes the work.