Question

1. We can examine human societies from an etic or/and an emic perspective. Do you think it is possible to really understand a society other than your own from an emic perspective?

2. How would you balance cultural relativism and universal human rights? Do you think that you could remain neurtral in your judgment of all of the behaviors you might see in a small-scale society?

Answer 1

Etic perspective is the viewer of an outsider person looking inside the culture. For example, an American went to India and study tribal people then his study would be only from an etic perspective.

An emic view of a society or culture is a perspective that provides an ultimate focus on the intrinsic differences that are meaning full to the society's or culture's members. The emic viewers may or may not be part of the particular society or culture.

Yes, it is possible to understand society other than the etic perspective because emic viewer provides more in-depth details and information about beliefs and practices of the society that may get ignored by the etic view.

However, the emic perspective also have its drawbacks. the main drawback is biased observation especially when the individual is part of the culture itself. Emic view help to provide in-depth information about how the culture and society are understood by the insiders.