Naslov
The anthropological approach to the study of the uprooted in Croatia - some guidelines for future projects

Autori
Špoljar-Vržina, Sanja M. ; Martić-Biočina, Sanja ; Gilliland, Mary Kay

Izvornik
Collegium Antropologicum (0350-6134) 20 (1996), 2; 293-299

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
anthropology; uprootedness

Sažetak
Our experiences gathered from the three year study devoted to the families of the refugees and displaced persons on the island of Hvar confirm that a successful and effective research/project in the domain of refugee studies can only be conceived through a long-term oriented work of a scholar/practitioner devoted to recognizing the elements of exile living on the individual level. Only in that manner can the misguided practice of equating cultural contexts, through the insistent use of unevaluated approaches to these populations, be lessened. The communication with those in exile is a reciprocal communication process that can many times serve as a healing tool, in itself. On the other hand, if not recognized as such it can be detrimental. Thus the scope of the many problems in providing for and researching uprootedness is also a problem of the a priori attitudes that conceive the patterned and standardized approaches (questionnaires, agendas, tasks) that are more often than not counterproductive. Although the critique of this observation can be that dramatic situations such as the refugee crisis do not leave much space for "on the spot" changeability and creativity, the question that remains is: Why is the denial of the mistakes made in the past so great ? Exile is a continuous process, as well as the approach towards serving those in exile (whether by aid workers or researchers) and we should conceive all further work through the lessons learned from that critical two-way communications done on the ground. The methodological flexibility that is provided through an anthropological approach allows one to make a change in this respect. In this context our paper has the aim of addressing some of our own mistakes made in past fieldwork and conceiving new grounds to acknowledge future projects on the basis of our own lessons learned.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Etnologija i antropologija

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