Emic and Etic

In the comparative study of societies two approaches are commonly used: the "unique approach" or nomothetic type of study, and the "comparative approach" or ideographic type of study (Frijda and Jahoda, 1969). The choice between the nomothetic or ideographic study approach needs to be made carefully because its specific mode of explanation, its mode of organizing variables, and the research techniques employed needs to best fit the subject matter.

Since Sapir looked at the different types of cross-cultural research in 1932, the discussion around the uniqueness of cultures has not disappeared. On the one hand, there is the "emic" approach, which believes that any culture has an attitude and behavior that is unique to the group. On the other hand is the "etic" approach, focusing on the search for universal attitudes and behaviors across cultures. Special attention, therefore, needs to be paid to finding concepts that are not so peculiar to a single culture or group of cultures that no instance of the concept can be found in other cultures. The comparability of concepts is improved by simultaneously making them more abstract and inclusive.

In this process of climbing and descending the ladder of abstraction, we face a continuous struggle between the "culture-boundedness" of system-specific categories and the "contentlessness" of system-inclusive categories.

So, in addition, in order to achieve the maximum possible equivalence of concepts translators must be as familiar with the context of the material to be translated as they are with the languages concerned. Despite these precautions many unexpected problems may still arise and translations often need to be anthropological rather than literal.

Before presenting any translation to the participating subjects of the research, versions need to be checked by in-culture people or, even better, by professional local researchers. The various versions of all instruments need to be checked on whether all items are conceptually equivalent and well-adapted to the cultures under survey. Back translations may be used, as also may stories and "thick descriptions" rather than short statements, which are more sensitive to a translation of meaning.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 798