We have been talking about the differences between objectifying and subjectivity in anthropology. Objectifying other people has been problematic in the field of anthropology, especially in terms of a colonial gaze that made other people strange.
How can we experience, observe, and write ethnographically without distancing or making other people strange? Subjectivity is a popular methodology which reveals avenues for addressing these concerns. How can we be more engaged and compassionate?
Here, we will volunteer in order to ignite subjectivity. Volunteering gives us the opportunity to embody practices and move our body in ways that may not be familiar. We are looking at changes in our own bodies as we do service and embody different movements. As you volunteer, do you find yourself doing activities that move your body in more humble ways? How do you experience humbleness? Is everyday movement dance? Can our movements be described in the same ways as dance? What happens as we change these movements? Are there changes in our thought patterns, changes in our perspectives, changes in whom we speak to? What do you observe about and in your own subjectivity? How do you define your own subjectivity? What is subjectivity? These are just some ideas to begin with. Describe these and find other ways to not be an objectifying observer.
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