Talk:Robert J. Flaherty

Untitled
Moana is set in the South Seas. Man of Aran takes place in Ireland. -- Zoe

Ok, thanks. --KQ

Interesting use of the term "participant-observer." Implies Flaherty was a trained anthropologist - or that simply joining a culture is enough to make one an anthropologist (Flaherty is listed as a "visual anthropologist" on another page).

I guess that makes a lot of people anthropologists and a participant-observers. Flaherty was an amazing man, but saying he was an anthropologist is like saying Napoleon was a psychologist (he was a psychologist, in some sense of the term - but not the way it is usually used in contemporary language, as an academic discipline and professional designation).--Levalley (talk) 06:16, 26 March 2009 (UTC)LeValley

Further, Flaherty only managed sometimes to ingratiate himself enough to get to be a "participant-observer." He was a man who worked for a railroad company and was encouraged to use a camera by his boss, who had a liking for filmmaking. His film is not truly anthropological in nature. It is precious for many reasons, it does preserve Inuit culture on film, but the back story is NOT the story of a professional observer, but of a man who was in love with an Inuit woman and who carefully ingratiated himself into the family, only occasionally following "Nanook" (made up name) around on his journeys and staging many of the events in the film.

Napoleon Chagnon and Karl Heider are participant-observers and filmmakers (for example); Flaherty is a cool guy, but much more like Disney in his approach to scenery, wildlife and the locals. (I'm not implying Walt slept with the natives' wives as Flaherty did, but that Flaherty should not in any way be considered an actual anthropologist). Documentarian. Charming geologist. Levalley (talk) 06:23, 26 March 2009 (UTC)LeValley

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