dear dr. abaya & colleagues;
thanks for sending me the program for this year's conference - the topic sounds very interesting but unfortunately i am not currently working in this area. i had inquired earlier if it was possible to suggest other (broader)topics but it seems this is not possible. i accept this limitation even if it means i am unable to participate in the conference. however, from the program, a reader may get the impression that anthropologists only (or mostly) study indigenous, tribal or ethnic cultures. in fact, most anthropologists study mainstream cultures, including urban groups and even technological practices such as mobile phones and the internet. it would indeed be unfortunate if we give the general public the impression that anthropology is mainly the study of exotic peoples. this interest may have been the historic origins of anthropology but the discipline has long since expanded its research orientation, both because exotic peoples are rapidly transforming and going global and because anthropology is ultimately the study of the self (in its many manifestations) as much as, if not more than, the other. fraternal/sororal greetings from an old colleagues -
raul pertierra
