The Other Like Me. Three-and-a-Half Voices to the Theoretically and Practically Valid Problem

This article tackles the problem of how we understand the Other – a problem related to the dichotomy of ‘us vs. them’ in divided communities. Nycz identifies two dominant positions in this area: the Eurocentric position, which corresponds to European and North American anthropology’s universalist ap...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:URI:https://journals.openedition.org/td,
Autor Principal: Nycz, Ryszard
Formato: Article ou chapitre numérique
Idioma:Anglais
Publicado: Teksty Drugie 2024
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Acceso en liña:Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
Descripción
Résumé:This article tackles the problem of how we understand the Other – a problem related to the dichotomy of ‘us vs. them’ in divided communities. Nycz identifies two dominant positions in this area: the Eurocentric position, which corresponds to European and North American anthropology’s universalist approach, and multiculturalism, which recognizes the equality of cultural variants. Both perspectives, Nycz argues, have reached an impasse: the first because by has appropriated the debate and attained a dominant position over the Other, and the second because it tends to stifle theoretical conflict, which risks weakening its ethical engagement. Nycz postulates a different approach. The ability to see individuals and the community (culture) from the perspective of the Other (a perspective that may be internalized or external) is posited as an inherent element of critical self-knowledge. Bakhtin’s notion of ‘outsidedness’ or ‘exotopy’ (vnenakhodimost) represents for Nycz a solid foundation to develop a universal category of historical cultural anthropology.