Newsletter No. 467

467 • 19.11.2015 3 about topics as diverse as Filipina entertainers in Korea and the politics and ethics of childrearing in China today. While the subject matters of their studies may differ, contemporary anthropologists share their predecessors’ goal of giving ordinary people, very often the marginalized, a voice. CUHK students are indeed fortunate to have an anthropology department of their own—CUHK is the only local university that runs an anthropology department. Established in 1980, the department today is a close-knit community of 10 full-time academic staff and 191 students, among them 79 postgraduate students. Anthropology provides a vehicle for examining the many facets of life, which range from gender, religion, language, politics, economics, food, medicine, and material culture to rituals and symbols. For that reason, anthropology has much to offer to a broad education. In the words of Liu Shuman , a second-year MPhil student, ‘anthropology gives us a chance to intellectually transcend the very life we are born into.’ Intrigued by the popularity of long-distance cycling between Sichuan and Tibet, Shuman embarked on fieldwork in the area, and during the three-month period cycled with a team of cyclists to Lhasa. That experience has proved invaluable to her research, and helped her realize how people are able to find meaning in a seemingly mundane life. Shuman’s emphasis on fieldwork is shared by David Tong , formerly an undergraduate and currently an MPhil student of the department. His MPhil thesis focuses on insomnia in Hong Kong, in particular the impact of modern life on our idea about insomnia. His fieldwork took him to a sleep outpatient clinic in a local hospital where he worked with medical specialists and interviewed people having difficulty falling asleep. When asked what it was in anthropology that most interested him, he said its interdisciplinary nature was most appealing. ‘As a student with a science background, I appreciate the opportunity to review what I learnt through a different perspective. Anthropology makes me a more observant and broad-minded person. The soft skills I have learnt are definitely useful for my future development,’ he said. The soft skills mentioned by David—respect for other cultures, communication skills, and the collection, analysis and presentation of data—are part of an all-round education essential for both academic and professional development. Cecilia Tsui , a CUHK alumna, can vouch for the benefit of anthropological training to her work as the administrator of an NGO promoting multiculturalism in Kwai Chung. ‘My role is to help the locals and ethnic minorities living in this neighbourhood, mostly Pakistanis, to understand each other better. I avoid judging unfamiliar behaviour, recalling what I learnt in my anthropology lessons. I also act as a mediator between South Asian residents and social workers or government officials in their dealings.’ Cultural diversity does not gain much currency in Hong Kong, although we know full well the possible consequences of discrimination or even bigotry based on ethnicity. In spite of the odds facing her, Cecilia is glad to note that after two years of work, the locals are beginning to bear fewer grudges against their Pakistani neighbours. Cecilia’s rewarding career shows that a background in anthropology is an asset for young people who wish to work in the public sector. On top of NGOs, anthropology graduates also found employment in research, teaching and administration, the hospitality industry, finance and banking, publishing, engineering, etc. One of the basic tenets of anthropology is embracing diversity, a value of prime importance to a world where new technologies are liberating peoples from the boundaries of space but not the bridging of differences. Perhaps to really surmount the hurdles on the way to meaningful communication, there is almost nothing more effective than gaining first-hand experience or talking face- to-face. The only thing is you probably don’t have to wear a khaki shirt now; the passion to reach out is still a must though. 2014年的人類學系田野考察,師生訪問台灣台東都蘭地區。在為中大師生舉行的歡送會上,東道主正向學生 解釋台灣原住民阿美族的傳統食品和飲食風俗 In the 2014 annual field trip, the staff and students of the department visited Doulan in Taitung, Taiwan. This photo was taken in a farewell party for the students with the host explaining about the traditional food and culinary practices of the Amis, an indigenous people of Taiwan 中大師生參與由都蘭天主堂舉辦的窮人聖母巡遊 The field trip group participates in the procession of Our Lady of the Poor organized by the Doulan Catholic Church 劉抒曼 Liu Shuman 唐迪偉 David Tong 徐斯筠(右二) Cecilia Tsui (2nd right) 出處:人類學系部落格(2014年12月5日) Source: The blog of the anthropology department, 5 December 2014. ( www.anthrocuhk.blogspot.hk/2014/12/event-summer-field-trip-to-doulan-and.html )

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