Why I Chose Anthropology

by Rita EL KHAYAT

I was drowned in anthropology when I became the pupil, in Paris, of Georges Devereux, the inventor of Ethno psychiatry. I arrived at him just to complete graduation for Psychiatry: I was fascinated by him; I was deeply interested in the field of comparison between cultures, individuals, collectivities, civilizations. But, I realized that the entire ethnologic field was a lot of productions made by western people, researchers, anthropologists, ethnologists …

All those who were studied by European or North-American were “primitive” or “traditional” entities, just unable to produce a LOGOS on themselves or to contest what was said on their behalf. I’m part of that humanity, colonized, “acculturate”, “uncultured”, transformed, sculptured by “O”thers. So, I’m now in huge
research and project; my final purpose is to reveal what was so unbearable to be things regarded through “scientific” instruments, such as Ethnology and Ethnography…

The greatest Western authors were/are just studying another humanity known to be exotic, folkloric, traditional, primitive, and interesting for that reason;

I’m promoting another view of Anthropology, defining why “Ethno” is so archaic… This woman studied as an object of “Ethno” is now saying:

“It’s enough!”

I’m an Arab, Moslem, African, heir of Arab-Andalousian civilization, not this photographed by Gaétan Georges de Clérambault, described by Germaine Tillon, structured in the family by Camille Lacoste-Dujardin… : I’m now able to produce thinking, science, ideas and books…