“If I enjoy these internet memes so much, why am I so dismissive of anthropological fads? There are probably three reasons: First, there is the erasure of disciplinary memory. Newer is not necessarily better, and it is good to show a little respect for where we came from. The second is that it is simply hard to keep up. One doesn’t just casually pick up Lacan – there is a whole new vocabulary to master. For this reason it can often feel like empire building (reason #3). By establishing a new anthropological trend one is trying to build up one’s own cultural capital while simultaneously devaluing other forms.”

From “LOL Anthropology” by Savage Minds

Reason #3 is key. Fetch, even.

Notes

  1. sociolab reblogged this from modernandmaterialthings
  2. modernandmaterialthings posted this