The Academic Community and the Image of Limited Good

Abstract

Anthropological analysis of the contemporary U.S.A. should move beyond describing observed behavior to probing underlying cultural assumptions. But it is particularly difficult for anthropologists enculturated within the U.S. to confront their own cultural premises and blindspots. One useful strategy is to analyze American behavioral data in terras of models developed by anthropologists for describing other cultures. This article takes an irreverent look at academe, using George M. Foster's model of peasant society.Participant-observation on campuses shows that the Image of Limited Good, which Foster found in peasant communities, seems also to underlie and explain everyday behavior in the academic world.