Jackson is a native anthropologist himself and in his essay, "An Ethnographic Filmflam", he describes the differences of native and nonnative anthopology, and how the development of film helped fuel those differences. Jackson uses Sylvia Woods' restaurant, Sylvia's, as an example of how nonnative Harlemites come in and visually record the native Harlemites. Tourists spill into the famous Sylvia's restaurant and take photos video footage with her to prove they were there with her and to have the "Harlem experience".
Jackson explains how the development of visual anthropology fueled the development of native anthropology. People always believe that it is impossible for someone to do an anthropological study of their own culture, however, it can be almost better. Take, for instance, Zora Neale Hurston's book, Mules and Men, she went back to her home town in southern Florida and recorded the cultural rituals of the people she had known all of her life. Because she had known these people already and grown up in the culture, there was no problem infiltrating herself into the culture. Jackson explains that the hard thing about native anthropology is having to be both on the inside and the outside.
Once film started to be used as an anthropological tool, the tables started turning because the natives started using the video cameras. From this developed something called a "parallax effect", which is when both the indigenous films and the ethnographic films are used as complementary films and are seen as a holistic ethnographic study because they show both sides.
Jackson says that visual native anthropology will "reinvent ethnography in the 21st century". This is true, it is the modern anthropology- technologically advanced and culturally open.
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This article obviously has many layers to it, which is why I find it to be so intriguing. As you mentioned, it discusses the differences between native and visual anthropology, and how the ethnographic film has influenced it.
Native anthropology and visual anthropology are intertwined in a very meaningful way that was only exemplified with the addition of film. Jackson claims that film is a great teaching tool. He further explains that "film is a great tool through which to think about the ehtics of participant observation as a methodology-and of ethnographic representation as a discursive and political form" This is to emphasize film’s role and use it for the good of both the native and visual anthropologists. I agree that it is important to acknolwedge that film will reinvent the 21st century and that is because of the enormous power it holds. He explains that film can be "anthro" while remaining "native", it is dependent upon the viewer and his/her interpretation of the subject.
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