


































The Representation of Others in Anthropology

Review by Sue Ann Teo

Published, August 16, 2021

Bruce Kapferer and Dimitrios Theodossopoulos, 2016, Against Exoticism: Toward the 

Transcendence of Relativism and Universalism in Anthropology. Berghahn Books, 147 pp., 

ISBN 978-1-78533-371-2

Keywords:  Exotic, exoticism, representation, ethnographic nostalgia, exoticization

Against  Exoticism confronts  the  complications  of  theorizing  and  researching  the  ‘exotic’ in
anthropology.  Bruce Kapferer and Dimitrios  Theodossopoulos conceptualize the ‘exotic’ in the
book as that which is  “outside and does not fit  into presumptions, opinions and theories that
guide the analyses in humanities, social science and sciences that concern with differences and
universalities  of  human  sociocultural  practices”  (137). ‘Exoticism,’ on  the  other  hand,  is
conceptualized  as  the  construction  of  false  and  unsubstantiated  differences  through  the
inappropriate application of descriptive/analytical categories, and this limits the interpretations of
the localized and relative modes of comprehension. These conceptualizations reflect the authors’
intention  to  disengage  from the  prevailing dichotomy of  West  and Others.  Hence,  the  book
constitutes ethnographic studies carried out in South America, Africa and Asia. These studies
focus on the exotic and exoticism as a particular  methodological  import  for anthropology in
which the scholars discuss their research experiences and their representation of subjects. 

In  the  introduction,  Kapferer  and  Theodossopoulos  discuss  the  dichotomy of  relativism and
universalism in anthropological studies pertaining to the ‘exotic’ as subject. They argue that the
danger for anthropologists often lies in the slippage between relativism and universalism. As
such, they contend that if anthropologists do not recognize their relativism within the universal,
they will  fall  into the trap of exoticism as they misconceive  the real difference as merely a
variation of the universal. Consequently, implications of modifications and changes to the exotic

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through time and by different stakeholders will be understudied. As a result, the universalism of
the notion of exotics often becomes insufficient in explaining subjects with agencies who react
and modify the externally imposed imaginaries and stereotypes to fit their purposes.

In  Chapter  1,  Theodossopoulos  argues  that  anthropologists  have  ethnographic  nostalgia  in
relating  current  social  realities  with  past  ethnographic  records,  which  are  essentialist  and
taxonomic,  often  deriving  a  universalistic  theorization  and  homogenizing  the  differences  of
presumptions,  opinions  and  theories  of  subjects  as  Others.  He  argues  that  it  is  crucial  for
ethnographers to be aware of the nostalgia, to destabilize pre-existing standards of authentication
which engender a de-exoticizing that renders real differences as mere variations. 

An aspect of the complexity is demonstrated by Pnina Werbner in Chapter 2. He uncovers the
pragmatic improvisation in rituals (the  mothei) among the Tswapong women of Botswana. He
stresses that the cultural  inventiveness in the indigenous rituals is not necessarily due to the
influence of the West or to Christianity. Instead, the changing of socio-economic backgrounds,
educational levels and standards of living as the context may have a more direct impact on the
improvisation of the rituals. 

In Chapter 3, Stephen Nugent writes about the importance of the system/context for the analysis
of  the  exotic.  He  argues  that  the  social  and  cultural  system  constitutes  the  albatross  for
ethnographers when studying the exotic. By understanding the context, in Chapter 4,  Maurice
Said uncovers  the  exoticization  and  counter-exoticization  as  reciprocal  processes  between
expatriates and travelers with the locals of Southern Sri Lanka. Said argues that the seeming
counter-reactions are driven by the agenda and intentions of the locals. The process can be both
to empower and disempower and often entails (re)negotiation of the Self and Other. 

Theodora Lefkaditou makes a similar argument in Chapter 5, though in a different context, as she
analyses the prevailing imageries of poverty, joy, and the cultural and racial identity of Bahians
in Brazil which are continuously appropriated by the current tourism industry of the country.
With  a  specific  focus  on  capoeira practitioners,  Lefkaditou  unravels  the  tensions,  conflicts,
compromises and conformances between the  capoeira practitioners and the locals during the
articulations, as they react to the demand of tourist markets for their livelihood.

The studies presented in Against Exoticism demonstrate the slippage of the notion of the ‘exotic’
and  ‘exoticism,’ due  to  multi-layered  complexity  of  the  concepts  which  are  never  linear  or
merely two-way processes. For example, Said and Lefkaditou in their respective chapters, have
shown  that  it  is  futile  to  label  who  or  what  constitutes  the  exotic,  as  exoticization  is  not
necessarily an external imposition. The subjects of research can also be the beneficiaries, hence,
of practicing exoticization. Therefore, the processes are reciprocal, simultaneous and often time
mutual. 

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Lefkaditou found the capoeira practitioners self-reflected and positioned themselves towards the
outsiders. Hence,  Theodossopoulos,  Werbner and Nugent  have urged for a  paradigm shift  in
understanding the notions of the exotic and exoticism as processes of evolving power relations
among subjects of study, which are often driven by perceptions, stereotypes, political interests,
economy and social contexts. Against Exoticism stresses the need for more critical awareness of
these changes in anthropology. 

This book demonstrates the urgent need for a scholarly discourse on methodological concerns
with  intellectual  representations  of  minorities  and  subaltern  groups.  It  echoes  postcolonial
critiques  of  representation,  challenges the “transparency by denegations” of  intellectuals and
undoes the “epistemic violence” as described by Gayathri Spivak (2010) in “Can the Subaltern
Speak?” Chapters in Against Exoticism demonstrate how to account for the political, social and
economic  realities  of  subjects  through  explanation  and  narratives  (Spivak  1988,  76).  By
unraveling  these  realities,  the  book  contributes  a  meaningful  analysis  of  deep-seated  social
values and heterogeneous norms for advancing the discipline of anthropology.

References

Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. 1998. "Can the Subaltern Speak?"  In Can the Subaltern Speak? 
Reflections on the History of an Idea, edited by Rosalind Morris, 21–78. New York: Columbia 
University Press.

Sue Ann Teo graduated with a PhD in Religious Studies from the Victoria University of 
Wellington. Teo’s research interests are in minority, gender and micro-politics studies. Currently, 
she is working on a research project about inter-marriage between different Indian communities 
in Malaysia and in exploring the institution of casteism among the diasporic Hindu communities. 
Teo’s studies are multidisciplinary in nature ranging from anthropology and sociology to gender 
and religious studies. 

© 2021 Sue Ann Teo

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