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Review
Comparisons of cultures have become a trend throughout the social sciences. However, within anthropology, the discipline traditionally known for its study of culture, there are profound debates about this pursuit. In his opening chapter, Richard Shweder offers an insightful and helpful overview of the different schools of thought regarding the meaning and aims of the study of culture. For his own part, Shweder rejects the narrative of progress, which has seen a burst of popularity in recent years. More specifically, he challenges those who argue that the adoption of Western values leads to progress and freedom. Instead Shweder argues for what he terms a “postmodern humanism” or “romantic pluralism.” Shweder views cultures as different but equal, and only through our attempts to understand the values and cultural psychology of others can any sort of judgement be made. Thus, Shweder rejects the position of radical relativists and argues that cultural psychology and an appreciation of other cultures “teaches us how to make critical judgements for the sake of identifying alternative conceptions of the world and ways of life that are deserving of tolerance (or even appreciation), and are morally and rationally defensible, even in the face of criticism from abroad.” Shweder applies his approach through a series of provocative essays on family life, gender roles, as practiced in different cultures. More precisely, Shweder considers such cultural practices as why American children sleep alone; why western women cling to their youth; while Indian women look forward to being middle-aged; and the reasons why some cultures practice female circumcision. Throughout the essays, Shweder’s openness and intellectual curiosity mixes with an intense focus on the practice and meaning of looking at other cultures. His work reveals the importance of looking at the world from a variety of viewpoints, while being careful not to fall prey to a relativism that offers no perspective at all. Martha Minow writes, “In fresh, brisk, and arresting language, Shweder challenges us to see the world in new ways or else come up with new arguments for holding on to the views we already have. This insightful and provocative book isn’t just for anthropologists and other social scientists, but for those who value having to look twice at the world they think they know.” Contents include: Introduction: Anti-Postculturalism (Or, the View from Anywheres) 1. Who Sleeps by Whom Revisited (with Lene Balle-Jensen and William Goldstein) 2. The "Big Three" of Morality (Autonomy, Community, Divinity) and the "Big Three" Explanations of Suffering (with Nancy C. Much, Manamohan Mahapatra, and Lawrence Park) 3. Cultural Psychology of Emotions: Ancient and New (with Jonathan Haidt) 4. "What about Female Genital Mutilation?" And Why Understanding Culture Matters 5. The Return of the "White Man's Burden" and the Domestic Life of Hindu Women (with Usha Menon) 6. Culture and Mental Development in Our Poststructural Age 7. A Polytheistic Conception of the Sciences and the Virtues of Deep Variety 8. Fundamentalism for Highbrows: The Aims of Education Address at the University of Chicago Conclusion: From Manywheres to the Civilizing Project, and Back
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