SHORT ANSWER ONLY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SHORT ANSWER ONLY - Assignment Example An example is the perception by the United States of America to be superior to other nations in terms of its economic and military might. This is manifested by their incursion in the Middle East. This is the principal that all customs, beliefs and ethical standards of a particular group are relative to its own interpretation and other groups should understand them in that groups perception (Cahoone, 2005). Thus no culture should perceive itself to be superior to another when comparing their structure of religion, politics, language or rule against another group. This concept is important to guard against biased judgment by anthropological researchers in taking field notes on an ethnic group to which they don’t belong. Hence your cultural identity should not portray you as ethnocentric in your final reporting of a culture (Cahoone, 2005). An example is the Chinese people who eat dog meat. In my culture, dog is considered as a pet. It is my conviction therefore to appreciate them in impartiality even though I might hold a controversial opinion. This is a perspective used by anthropologist mostly in cultural anthropology to study a society’s cultural system. Emic perspective is culture specific. It focuses on the inherent cultural distinctions that are significant to members of a given culture. This concept is paramount as it guides researcher against subjective opinion while embarking on a cross-cultural study (Liu, 2001). Hence the members of a society are the solitary judges of the legitimacy of an emic description. It gives major credence to local viewpoints. An example of emic is specific definition of a marriage. For instance, polyandry practiced in some societies is viewed as normal. This a process by which a person adapts to and assimilates the culture in which he lives in. He or she becomes a successful member of the society by practicing its accepted norms and values. It is a lifelong process learned through