I am not bound by disciplinary limits to study only one aspect of a society, nor only one society nor even to use only a specific methodology. I can study what people do or have done, what they and others think about it and how they imagine a better future. At the same time, I know that anthropology has been less than liberating for many of the people being studied. When I read anthropological studies, watch ethnographic films or do research in another cultural setting, I am able to see life from another point of view. The diverse perspectives revealed by anthropology fascinate me and help me imagine other ways to live in this world.
Anthropology is a truly eclectic discipline.
As an anthropologist I have learned to speak Japanese, studied botany, zoology and physics, read social theory and traveled around the world. I have imagined the past and wondered about the future. And I have stood on the margins of my own and other cultures and marveled at what I saw. I 'discovered' anthropology in fall 1969 as a 1st year undergraduate at St. Mary's University. This happened as a result of an impulsive decision to take an introductory course in physical anthropology as my elective credit.