--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In anthropology, which historically…" description: "\"In anthropology, which historically exists to 'give voice' to others, there is no greater taboo than self-revelation. The impetus of our discipline, wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/ruth-behar-59459_anthropology_in-anthropology-which-historically-exist_656176.png" --- # In anthropology, which historically exists to 'give voice'… ![“In anthropology, which historically exists to 'give voice' to others, there is no greater taboo than self-revelation. The impetus of our discipline, with its roots in Western fantasies about barbaric others, has been to focus primarily on 'cultural' rather than 'individual' realities. The irony is…” quote by Ruth Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/ruth-behar-59459_anthropology_in-anthropology-which-historically-exist_656176.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/ruth-behar-59459_anthropology_in-anthropology-which-historically-exist_656176.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/ruth-behar-59459_anthropology_in-anthropology-which-historically-exist_656176.png) > “In anthropology, which historically exists to 'give voice' to others, there is no greater taboo than self-revelation. The impetus of our discipline, with its roots in Western fantasies about barbaric others, has been to focus primarily on 'cultural' rather than 'individual' realities. The irony is that anthropology has always been rooted in an 'I' - understood as having a complex psychology and history - observing a 'we' that, until recently, was viewed as plural, ahistorical, and nonindividuated.” [Ruth Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-behar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anthropology historically prioritized cultural groups over individuals, making self‑disclosure taboo despite its roots in personal perspective. **In simple terms:** Anthropology ignored individuals, focusing on cultures, making self‑revelation rare. Key Takeaway Recognize individual voices in cultural studies. Themes anthropology identity voice methodology Mood critical reflective Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - fieldwork - academic writing - teaching - public discourse Key Concepts ethnography reflexivity colonial critique Questions to Reflect On - How can researchers honor individual stories? - What limits self‑revelation in academia? A Different Perspective Balancing personal narrative with scholarly objectivity can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anthropology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropology/) [Anthropology Historically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropology-historically-4226643/) [Anthropology Rooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropology-rooted-5237577/) [Barbaric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbaric/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Impetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impetus/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individual Realities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-realities-5237580/) [Irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony/) [Irony Anthropology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony-anthropology-5237579/) [Observing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observing/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Revelations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations/) [Rooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooted/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self revelation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-revelation/) [Taboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboo/) [Taboo Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboo-self-5237578/) [Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) ## Related quotes > [“Of all the modern social sciences, anthropology is the one historically most closely tied to colonialism, since it was often the case that anthropologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/of-all-the-modern-social-sciences-anthropology-is-the-one/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [The ugly duckling is a misunderstood universal myth. 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Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The transformation of silence into language and action is an act of self-revelation .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/the-transformation-of-silence-into-language-and-action-is-an-act-of/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [The greatest act of self-revelation occurs when we choose what we will believe, in that space of freedom that exists between knowing that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-act-of-self-revelation-occurs-when-we-choose-what-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ruth Behar > [ The anxiety around such work \[vulnerably written ethnographies\] is that it will prove to be beyond criticism, that it will be undiscussable. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-behar/the-anxiety-around-such-work-vulnerably-written-ethnographies-is-that/) [Ruth Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-behar/) > [“It's the land of my ancestors. 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