farrah
December 11, 2009, 7:20pm
90
Great post, Pixie.
On a more macro level, one of the theories that anthropologists use to classify various societies is that of the ‘honor-based society’ versus the ‘dignity-based society.’ This is not unproblematic and a lot of people would bring up the issue of cultural imperialism, etc. But I think to some extent it can be a useful way to examine our own attitudes toward other people, and to ask to what extent we value our perceived honor over the dignity of others----and asking what these terms mean for us. To what extent is freedom of conscience and therefore personal choice and expression more important than the image of a family or a family member? Within Islam, where do we draw the line between honoring the personal choices (and therefore dignity) of the individual versus the honor/image of our community, and what truly are the proper Islamic consequences of crossing that line (are they left in the hands of humans, and if so, do they involve physical punishment or just social isolation, or do we trust everything to God, etc.)?
I probably got too philosophical there. But I do agree with you that terminology is important and not something we can take for granted.
Is it a specific anthropologist that you’re referring too? If so, could you name him/her please?