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SeeingisBelieving.AnthropologicalVisionsofCulture
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wouldliketosee.Itistheabsolutegazefromabove.mevisualdataandobserva-
tionhasintheFrenchscholar’sviewmuchmorepotentialtodeliveranadequate
informationonAfricanculturesasinterviewsdoneinthefield,accordingtohim
anuncertainformoforalcollaboration.Griaulepointsouttheassumption,that
theimagebringsthenedgeneededtoprovoke,control,andverifyconfessionaldis-
courses”
.Itdeliverstheclarityofculturalrelations,andinthecontextofcolonial
FrenchruleoveralargepartofAfricathisworksbothways.Griauleobservesand
photographstheDogon,and,ashewitnessed,thenativesarefollowinghisevery
stepwiththeireyes.Nevertheless,thismutualobservationwasfarfromequality.It
wasadramaofapplicationofcolonialpowerandforcingobedience.Moreasitua-
tionofGeorgeOrwell’sexperienceasacolonialpoliceo|cerkillingtheinfamous
elephant,thanaClifiordGeertz’sparticipationinaBalinesecockfight.Compul-
sivecapturingoftheimageswasforGriaulethefirststepinacontrolledprocessof
revealingculture’shiddensecrets.
Withthedeclineofthecolonialsystem,thevanishingofitstraditionalobject
ofinterest(traditionalsocieties),andtheprocessesofglobalizationanthropology
shińedfromthestudyofparticularculturesintheirlocalenvironmentstoques-
tionsoncultureofamorephilosophicalnature.Sodiditsvisualsub-discipline.
musculturebecameanissueunderstoodintermsofsubjectiveexperienceof
thepeoplecapturedonphotographsandfilm.meexperimentundertakenbySol
WorthandJohnAdairin1966byhandingout16mmcamerastotheNavajoIn-
dianspreviouslyteachingthemtousethisequipment,hasshownanexistinggap
inwhatanthropologistsseeandwhatisperceivedbytheirnativeinterlocutors.
mesameissueisraisedinethnographiccinemaofJeanRouchorTimAsch.
However,theimageoftheOthertodaybecameblurredanddynamic.memore
wewantittostaystillintheframethemoreitisunreachable.medesiretogetit
inorder,tostructurizetheexistingculturalphenomenabyfreezingthemoment
ontapeandtodigitalizethevisualdataisn’toveryet.Aswecometothequestion
whyanthropologyisstillattachedtothiswishfulthinkingwemayaskourselves
ifanthropologycanbeeverdeprivedofitseyesatall.Seeingisbelieving,as
visualrecapturingofforeignritualsandcustomsbringsthemcloserintoour
ownculturalhome;makestheOtherifnotourcloseneighborandfriend,than
atleastsomeonewho’swayoflivingweacknowledge.meimportantdifierence
betweentodayandearlyvisualizationsofculturesbyEdwardCurtis,Bronisław
MalinowskiandlaterbyGregoryBatesonandJohnCollierliesupontheideology
behindethnographicimages.AsJeanRouchmentionsinoneoftheinterviews
visualanthropologysharesanuncertainfuture,butitwillsurviveaslongthe
productionofethnographicimagerydoesnotbecomepurelytechnicalandwill
maintainitslinktoreality.Symbolsaremeaninglesswithoutthepracticewhich
putstheminmotion.mepracticeofanthropologyiswhatanthropologistsdo
