Ethnologie als differentielle Soziologie. Perspektiven und Refraktionen
Zeitschrift für Ethnologie 122.1997:111-120
Anthropology as differential sociology. Perspectives and refractions
##There are common features between the two social sciences of sociology and ethnology as well as different ones. Especially the sociology of small groups or some urban studies as those of the Chicago School very much resemble an ethnological approach, despite of that fundamental difference concerning the perspectivistic attitude: The sociologist always keeps in mind the general and global development of human society, whereas the ethnologist searches for peculiarities, local differences and unique cultural profiles. This interest continues when exotic and isolated societies in the research field give way to combined, acculturated and mixed scenarios. When here the sociological studies search for the general trends of urbanization, world enculturation and ways towards civil society, the ethnological perspective isolates not only the traditionally looking features but also the creative combinations of cultural elements. The strange composed culture is the object of present day ethnology, whereas the epistemological goal of changing perspectives - from "etic" to "emic" view and back - has not changed. This core identity of ethnological research remains with all its implications of patience and empathy, even if complex societies require multiple methods and polyphonic presentations.##
Keywords: sociology and anthropology, anthropology and sociology, fieldwork, emic, etic, identity of anthropology, complex societies, Chicago School
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| ||||||
