Anthropology needed to understand society better – USC professors

CEBU, Philippines - The importance of anthropology was discussed in a forum initiated by the department of sociology at the University of San Carlos (USC) - Talamban Campus yesterday.

Anthropology is the study of all aspects of human experience. It is in direct relation to history.

The speakers of the forum were Dr. Resil Mojares and Professor Jojo Bersales, are both teachers at the USC.

According to Mojares, Anthropology allows us to locate ourselves in the society.

“We need to know what work has been done and what work to do in what ways,” Bersales said.

Mojares said that tracing our ancestral roots is hard since we do not have a good anthropology foundation, plus the attachment that we have with our colonial authorities.

It was only during the rise of our nationalism that made the Filipinos understand their identity, he said.

“The nationalists’ struggle answered the question of culture and race,” Mojares said. “It was then that anthropology became a base discipline as a discourse,” he added.

Bersales, on the other hand, presented the wonders of excavation.   In the past five years, several excavations were made in Cebu, some of which were done in Boljoon, Daanbantayan, San Remigio and at the Plaza Independencia.

These excavations revealed the presence of gold and ceramic in Cebu.

“The artifacts allows us to understand ourselves better,” Bernales said.

However, Bersales is dismayed at the National Museum for the wrong mindset the Filipinos have on Anthropologists.

“Every time we excavate, we are asked if we are finding the Yamashita treasure!”Bersales said.

He added that excavation brings us closer to our past, bringing new information which we haven’t known before.

There were about a thousand anthropology students who attended the forum which is part of the celebration of national anthropology day celebrated among museums and universities in the country.

USC is one of the two universities in the country which has received a Center of Excellence title from the Commission on Higher Education.  (FREEMAN)