An anthropologist generates his data from direct observation and verbal enquiries. For him fieldwork is the major method of collecting data. Through data generation he creates ideological fetishes and ambiguities. But, at the same time, an anthropologist is also concerned with the study and reconstruction of his own society as against the traditional one.
He finds that on one hand, he studies the primitives characterized by primordial institutions, and on the other, he is committed to study his own society which is changing. For him, therefore, the static nature of society (primitive) and the changing nature of society (civilized) create a contradiction.
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In such a situation, an anthropologist, as a professional, is concerned with the living history. This differentiates him from the traditional historian who enquires about the history of past things-a past where the outcome is known in advance.
But, the present study of primitive society creates problems for his analysis. These primitive societies are fast-changing. As a professional, he is required to justify or criticize the changes happening in primitive societies. Such a contradiction is professional and the anthropologists have to bear it.