Challenges Anthropologists Encounter Studying Gender and Sexuality

This essay explores the various difficulties anthropologists encounter while conducting research on gender and sexuality. The challenges discussed include financial constraints, the complexity of human behavior and cultural change, and gaining acceptance from respondents who may hold differing beliefs or have sensitive past experiences. Political instability in research locations and historical barriers stemming from colonialism also pose significant hurdles. The essay emphasizes the importance of understanding the research area's norms, the value of collaborative research efforts to mitigate researcher isolation, and the potential need for therapeutic support. It concludes by highlighting the need for further research to clarify assumptions about gender and sexuality to address existing gaps in understanding.

Running head: DIFFICULTIES ANTHROPOLOGISTS FACE 1
Difficulties Anthropologists Face while Conducting Research on Gender and Sexuality
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DIFFICULTIES ANTHROPOLOGISTS FACE 2
Difficulties Anthropologists Face while Conducting Research on Gender and Sexuality
Introduction
Anthropologists are scientists who study humans and their past through time and in
relation to the environment, culture and physical character. They are classified in to three
categories: sociocultural, biological and archaeology. Sociocultural anthropologists explain the
entails of a certain culture, explains the differences of culture and their changes with time;
biological anthropologists focus on examination of fossils and archaeologists study the remains
of materials in the cultural systems of today and those of the past. They help humans to
understand aspects like: their origin, how they evolved and how they vary from the different
communities around them. A gender focused anthropology helps in studying sexual differences
in different communities (Shahrokhi, 2015). It was adopted when women in Europe complained
of them being excluded in decision making and in debates (Shahrokhi, 2015). Anthropologists in
the course of studying the aspect of sexuality and gender, have been facing difficulties. The
difficulties could be as a result of barriers of: religion, politics, economy, history and colonialism
and this paper discusses them.
Discussion
Anthropologist face a challenge of time and money. This means that in low economic
times, it is hard to conduct the research. The principle that governs study of human beings is that
they are complex. In that case, understanding what it is to be human requires careful study.
Gender and sexuality itself poses a challenge since it is not only a cultural aspect but also a
biological component (Shahrokhi, 2015). It is nature embedded in culture. The complexity of
human beings and the very many possibilities of their action has caused anthropology to be

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explore diverse knowledge, multiple areas across time and places. This means the researcher
travels a lot for diverse data that will result to wide knowledge of the study. Human beings are
so unpredictable. This is resulted by the fact that culture too change randomly and fast across
communities. For instance, just when studies showed of only two sexes; male and female, there
was an emergent of transgender. The emergent of homosexual was also so out the blue. In Hijra,
there is another gender where a male individual chooses to wear women clothing, use female
names and operate as a female in all ways (Shahrokhi, 2015). For this fact, thorough data
collection is required to be able to analyze the topic at a number of angles which takes a lot of
time and money.
Secondly, anthropologist face a challenge in gaining acceptance from the respondents.
This is because of a number of the reasons. One of them is being that some people find the
studies to be those that can interfere with their believes. For instance, some communities have
adopted spatial separation of gender (Fabinyi, Evans& Foale, 2014). In these communities,
mostly there is an aspect of the male dominating. They are aware of the people’s different
opinion about this and they by resist to cooperate during interviews of the same. Also in some
communities, women are assigned duties of fetching firewood and water and taking care of
children. They are limited to their abilities. For instance, Indian girls who come from
conservative homes are limited to choosing only certain careers. They are denied the chance to
pursue computer science and structural engineering. It is obvious the families understand that
some people are really against that, so in case of anthropologists approaches with a questionnaire
on the same, they are reluctant to give information on the same. Also a number of people are not
proud of some of their pasts or who they are for fear of being judged or even because they have
not come in to terms with them being different from the largest number of people. These are

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some the reasons why the researcher misses some vital information among communities and
therefore leading to reports that are not real representations.
In addition, anthropologist face political difficulties. This is so because some regions
where research is conducted are not stable politically and sometimes socially. Anthropology is a
study that involves interactions with people for deep understanding, it is therefore an act that
takes place mostly in the field. In case the study is undertaken in the field where there is war,
fear and violence, it becomes the researcher’s life (Marshall, 2014). Despite the fact that most
part of their learning process they are trained on how to cope in the field, it is still poses a
challenge having in mind they are in a new region full of people with new faces. It a lonely time
for them and they often get frustrated and depressed. The informants too are in fear and therefore
cooperation is minimal. Also they could be mistaken for the enemy. An anthropologist by name
Larissa Begley shared her encounter in Rwanda when she was undertaking her study in the
country. That was back in 2008 when Congo and Rwanda were in war. The report shows how he
was followed from his restaurant by an Imam. After the encounter, he was banished from taking
his breakfast from the restaurant. You can imagine how traumatized he was. In deed
undertaking any research, the gender and sexual anthropology inclusive is quite a challenge in a
political instable region.
More so, the anthropologists could face the challenge of historical barriers due to gaps
between today and the past. The participants may not know about what happened in their
community in the past. Also science still holds the effect of colonialisms. Therefore
anthropology cannot escape this( Germain, 2014).
Conclusion

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Gender focused anthropologists undergo a number of challenges in the course of study.
others include: language barriers, ethical difficulties frustrations, loneliness among others. An
understanding of the region of study is really important especially understanding the norms of
people in the area for easy delivery. The study should always involve group work to ensure that
the researchers are in good mental state not them suffering from frustrations and loneliness. I
would recommend a therapist to keep in touch with them in case they are frustrated. In addition,
there are still so many assumptions pertaining gender and sexuality that needs to be studied for
clarifications to avoid the wide gap.
References
Fabinyi, M., Evans, L., & Foale, S. J. (2014). Social-ecological systems, social diversity, and
power: insights from anthropology and political ecology.
Marshall, R. (2014). Christianity, anthropology, politics. Current Anthropology, 55(S10), S344-
S356.
Shahrokhi, S. (2015) GENDER AND SEXUALITY: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH.
Retrieved from: https://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C04/E6-20D-68-22.pdf
Germain, B. (2014) Behind the Colonial Wall: The Chains that Binds Resistance. Retrieved
from:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.
org/edcf/
abf2034d0e36b0f2478800bc7f33bb483a90.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiDme7zkorlAhVs8OAK

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