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JaremaDrozdowicz
asJamesPeacocksays.mepracticeoftheimageistobeseenandthevisionsof
culturedeliveredbyanthropologyperformstillquitewelldespitetheirmoreor
lessobviouslimitations.
Todayvisualanthropology(ethnography)isawellestablishedsub-discipline
withawiderangeofinterestareasandarichcognitivetoolbox.Visualizingeth-
nographicknowledgeisregardedasanimportantandońennecessarypartofthe
enterpriseeventodaybyalargegroupoffieldworkers.misomni-presenceofthe
nvisual”inanthropologyiscertainlyanefiectofthepastdebatesandpolemicson
thenatureoftheanthropologicalworkanditsobjectofstudy,butitisalsothe
consequenceoftheanthropologicalpracticeitself.meactofcognitionisalways
linkedwiththesenses.UnderstandinghowtheculturalnOther”thinks,actsand
feelsinvolvesthesensorymachineryweallpossesandallowsittoestablishaclose
relationtowhatisouttherebyseeing,smelling,touchingandhearing.Ofcourse
thesesensesmayfunctionbothways;theyshapeourimageofrealitythroughde-
liveringempiricaldataourmindsareabletoprocess,butontheotherhanddue
totheirimperfectiontheyareaboundarywewillprobablynevercross.Human
beingsaresentencedthereforetolifeinthesensorynPanopticon”ofseeingother
andourselvesthroughthebarsofsocialroles,culturalvaluesandinstitutions.In
thiscontextthevisualaspectofndoing”anthropologyinthefieldisrelatedtothe
somehowestheticevaluationofthesefieldsofourexistenceandavisualtransla-
tionintoourownterms,symbolsandmetaphors.Wesimplycannotleavebehind
whatisculturallydetermined.Ourculturalglassesareaccompanyingusthrough
allstagesoflifeandinallofouractions,shapingthemthroughmotivatingagency
onthebasisofparticularculturalideologies.
Beingawareofourethnocentricevaluationandculturallylimitedworldview
iscertainlynewtosomeresearches,andsurelynotwidelyacceptedinthepublic
sphereincountrieswithwhomogenousculturalstructure(orratherapopular
viewofanationalmonolithiccommunity),whichisverymuchthecaseofPoland
forexample.meaimofanthropologicalresearchinthiscaseisońentohighlight
therealculturaldiversityofthesesocieties,carefullyhiddenbyrecenthistory(in
EasternEuropethetimeofthecommunistregimes),aswellcontemporaryorfu-
tureprocesseswhichwillinvolvethesesocietiestoconfrontandacknowledgethe
presenceofthenOther”
.Visualizingculturaldiversitymakesprobablytheattempts
toapplyanthropologicalknowledgeamucheasiertask,oratleastitallowstomake
thefirstmoveintherightdirection.
Bringingtogetheragainanthropologyandthefieldthroughthevisualcompo-
nenthastoincludethevastdiscourse,whichisbeingassociatedwiththisissue.As
methodologyofvisualanthropologyhasgainedmuchattentionthroughworksof
suchauthorslikeSarahPink,JayRuby,MarcusBanks,orJohnCollieritstheoreti-
calfoundationsarestillatstake.mevisualdiscourseisinthisscientificdomain
