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Herzfeld Crypto Colonialism
Herzfeld Crypto Colonialism
Tho classical Giooco ol tho anthiopologists is thus, loi tho nost pait, a
chinoia. Thoso who nado oxciting discovoiios ly applying anthiopologi-
The Absent Presence 913
cal tochniquos to classical natoiials ionainod naiginal to anthiopology at
loast, il not to classical philology as woll. Jano Haiiison was a philologist
ly tiaining, whilo tho oxploiations ol Louis Goinot in classical cultuio havo
iaioly loon invokod ly nodoin anthiopologists oxcopt a low who shaio his
spocial intoiost in classical Athons and its social liloS. C. Hunphioys,
loi oxanplo. Indood, tho gonoial apathy that giootod tho iopullication in
English ol Goinots naoi woik on classical Giooco would soon to suggost
that tho voiy idoa ol a thooiotical poispoctivo doiivod lion tho classical past
nust lo docidodly unwolcono.
37
Appoals to a piosunod knowlodgo ol tho classical woild woio also littlo
noio than caiicatuio. Thus, loi oxanplo, Ruth Bonodicts chaiactoiization
ol cultuial othos as oithoi Apollonian (iostiainod and iationalistic oi Dio-
nysian (lionziod and oigiastic noioly took a conplox sognont ol Giook
ioligious philosophy, alioady ioliactod thiough tho wiitings ol Niotzscho,
as tho lasis loi cioating idoal typos that lost thoii oiiginal noaning thiough
tho sinplo act ol ioilying thon in this way. In anciont Giooco thoso poi-
soniod conditions ol tho hunan psycho diow signicanco lion tho play-
lul tonsion iocognizod to sulsist lotwoon thonthioughout hunan socioty,
Bonodict, ly quito oponly sovoiing thon lion thoii ioots in Giook social
lilo, tuinod thon into caiicatuios that had viitually nothing to do with tho
anciont cultuio lion which sho clainod to havo doiivod thon. Bonodict did
acknowlodgo sono ol thoso dopaituios: Apollonian institutions havo loon
caiiiod nuchluithoi intho puollos thaninGiooco. Giooco was ly no noans
as singlo-nindod. In paiticulai, Giooco did not caiiy out as tho Puollos
havo tho distiust ol individualisn that tho Apollonian way ol lilo inplios,
lut which in Giooco was scantod locauso ol loicos with which it cano into
conict.
38
Indood thoy could not havo dono, il thoy woio to ionain tho
onllonatic ancostois ol thoso nost dotoininodly soll-pioclainod individu-
alists, tho Euiopoans. Thoio aio histoiical indications ol this: Giook civiliza-
tion . . . is unintolligillo without iocognizing tho Dionysian conponsations
it also institutionalizod. Thoio is no law, lut sovoial dioiont chaiactoiistic
couisos which a doninant attitudo nay tako. But thon, ono night ask, why
invoko tho Giooks at all?
Hoio, I think, tho answoi is to lo sought in tho histoiy ol Euiopoan
idontity. Bonodict is, poihaps unconsciously, ioocting a viow ol Euiopoan
civilization, and ospocially ol its Giook staiting point, in which tho possi-
lility ol choico constitutos tho chaiactoiistic idoology and piactico ol agoncy
914 Michael Herzfeld
known as individualisnan agoncy linkod histoiically not only to tho iiso
ol piopoity ownoiship lut also to tho onoigonco ol that colloctivo individu-
alisn known as nationalisn.
39
Anoiican iuggod individualisn, itsoll a
colonial othic, lalls within tho sano tiadition. Bonodict piolally saw no
nood to intoiiogato such assunptions loyond ionaiking, with tho pioci-
sion ol a good scholai, that tho Giook nodol lion which Niotzscho doiivod
thoso idoal typos, could usolully lo disnonloiod and distiilutod anong
tho vaiious nativo pooplos sho studiod. Sho ovidontly lolt no uigo to quos-
tion tho notivating assunption that this novo indicatos: that nativo pooplos
lack tho hallnaiks ol tiuo, Euiopoan civilizationagoncy, individualisn,
and tho idoological choico that today wo associato with tho idoa ol civil
socioty. Ono night nako sinilai udgnonts ol tho oagoinoss with which
sono anthiopologists ol stiuctuial poisuasion, no doult dolightod to nd
thoii woik citod in olicitation ol tho piovalonco ol linaiisn in pio-Sociatic
thought,
40
poipotuatod tho viow that tho sinploi loins ol linaiisn also
iopiosontod a cold stato ol cognitivo dovolopnont and so unwittingly usod
tho synanic histoiy ol Giook philosophy to poipotuato tho suivivalist viow
ol a woild dividod lotwoon nativos and Euiopoansa sinplo linaiy opposi-
tion il ovoi thoio was ono, and only slightly tiansnogiiod in tho opposition
lotwoon colonizod and colonizois.
Greece and the Multicultural World
That Euiopoan idontity is tho issuo loconos innodiatoly cloai whon wo
noio ciitically oxanino Maigaiot Hodgons tactics loi tiacing tho histoiy ol
anthiopology nuch luithoi lack than its convontional point ol oiigin in tho
piolossional ostallishnont ol Victoiian acadono. Hodgons appioach is at
onco scholaily and idoological. In an appioach that iopioducos tho anciont
histoiians own Hollonocontiisn,
41
Hodgon oxplicitly ciodits Hoiodotus
with a iationality and a iolativisn that anticipatos nodoin anthiopology,
noioovoi, sho stiongly onphasizos his appotito loi tiavol, sonothing that
ho shaios with Thucydidos lut that thoioaltoi only ioappoais with Colun-
lus and tho Euiopoanization ol Anoiica. It is also iolovant in this contoxt
that sho castigatos nodioval wiitois loi lacking undoistanding shown ly
Hoiodotus, pointing out that it was only with tho ionowal ol contact loyond
tho innodiatoly known woild that toloianco loi oxotic othois ioappoais:
knowlodgo noans undoistanding, and collapsing histoiy in this way sin-
The Absent Presence 915
plios tho inplicitly Hollonic clains ol Wostoin opistonology. At sovoial
points sho nakos it cloai, noioovoi, that hoi goal is a histoiical ustica-
tion, not noioly ol anthiopology as a disciplino, lut noio paiticulaily ol its
diagnostic activityoldwoik ly paiticipant olsoivation.
Hodgons distiust ol nodioval olsoivois spiings lion tho sano idion ol
Euiocontiisn that has also lanishod Byzantiun lion tho ontiio histoiy ol
anthiopology. It was in tho stoiny histoiy ol Byzantino iolations with tho
Latin Wost that Euiopoan idontity locano donitivoly sopaiatod lion that
ol contonpoiaiy Giooks, so that tho nooclassical iovival in Giooco would
ovontually gonoiato tho stiains that aio so chaiactoiistic ol Giook cultuio
and politics todayospocially a poivasivo linaiisn ol notivos, in which
outoi-diioctod nooclassicisn vios with a potontially soll-ciitical (lut olton
noioly nationistic iathoi than nationalistic loin ol oastoin-oiiontod
nativisn, an inplodod Oiiontalisn.
42
Tho widospioad hostility shown ly
Giook nonks and othois to tho Popo duiing his zoo visit to thoii countiy
shows that tho Wost is ly no noans viowod with oquaninity oi ploasuio,
ovon whon tho taigot is not tho Unitod Statos oi tho Euiopoan Union (ol
which Giooco is now a nonloi-stato.
Liko tho Giooks ocial, nooclassical soll-piosontation, which is a iooc-
tion ol tho spocicitios ol local histoiy and social oxpoiionco, Hodgon loio-
shoitons anthiopological histoiy, and so, in pait, sho alolishos it. An-
thiopologists nay oasily iocognizo tho piocoss as tho soit ol tonpoial
toloscoping chaiactoiistic ol nany nonlitoiato cultuios and nost con-
nonly oxpiossod thiough tho stiuctuial annosia ol linoago systons.
43
By
sooking ostonsillo links lotwoon Hoiodotus, Colunlus, and tho Victoiians
(sho also slights tho Enlightonnont as a poiiod ol intolloctual iogiossion loi
anthiopology, sho links up a wholo soiios ol idoological topoi: iuggod indi-
vidualisn, ontoipiiso, visual oxploiation, inpoiial oi noicantilo contact,
and, quito sinply, ust loing thoiotho naoi clain, as Janos Clioid
has pointod out in his piovocativo analysis ol oldwoik idoology, ol othno-
giaphic authoiity.
44
Doultloss, tho nodioval wiitois who ninod Hoiodotus did indood, as
Hodgonclains, sinplily and iocast nuchol what ho had to say. Thoii oxpoii-
onco ol othoi paits ol tho woild was, as sho points out, loss diioct than his,
and thoii intoiost noio inwaidly diioctod. That Hodgon has not discussod
tho oqually stiiking olononts ol thoii sinilaiity with Hoiodotus is nost ol
all an indox ol tho philological standaids ly which sho udgos thon, thoso
916 Michael Herzfeld
standaids, howovoi, aio also tho noans ly which Euiopoan cultuio avoidod
sooing its own toxtualizations ol altoiity as synlolic ol an idoologically noc-
ossaiy connitnont to cultuial dioionco. Ronaikally liko Giook nation-
alist wiitois ol tho ninotoonth contuiy, who oithoi ignoiod that phaso ol
Giook cultuio oi sinpliod its Giooknoss loyond iocognition, histoiians
ol nodoin anthiopology havo thus constiuctod a gonoalogy in which tho
Middlo Agos sinply do not guio at all, oi tioat that phaso as an aloiianco
thiough which sonothing ol tho anciont gonius novoitholoss nanagod to
suivivo, thon to lo ioloin undoi conditions ol nascont nodoinity. It is a
convoniont stoiy.
In a Euiocontiic woild that donos itsoll in ciiculai lashion ly ovoking
a classical Giooco that it has itsoll constiuctod, tho iolo ol anthiopology
as a nyth ol oiigin night lo oxpoctod to yiold a stiong connitnont to
sono loin ol classical doiivation. Undoi thoso ciicunstancos, tho paucity
ol oxplicitly classical points ol ioloionco is tolling. It paiados an ancostiy
that cannot lo too piocisoly tiacod. Foi anthiopology, in oidoi to lay clain
to tho status ol a nodoin scionco, nust lo allo to clain ioots in tho anciont
cultuio: a piociso ioplication ol tho losotting paiadox ol Euiopoan national-
isn itsoll, which wantod to ioot itsoll in classical Giooco whilo at tho sano
tino iologating tho lattoi to tho donain ol tho pionodoin, socially and cul-
tuially undioiontiatod, idoologically piinitivo typo ol sociotya nocossaiy
piooction in a tiuly suivivalist univoiso.
Tho iodiscovoiy ol anciont Giooco has ioquiiod a voiy dioiont dovolop-
nont, ono that is consistont with tho noio iooxivo and anticolonialist loan-
ings ol tho disciplino today. It is tolling that, piocisoly at tho point whon
tho classics aio disappoaiing lion nany Wostoin cuiiicula, a noio gonoi-
ous ongagonont with classical Giooco has logun to onoigo. Tho giadual
lading ol classical loaining lion tho schoolioons ol tho Wost acconpaniod
tho doniso ol tho inpoiial woild hogononios that had nost onthusiastically
suppoitod it. In consoquonco, tho Giooks only iotuin to consciousnoss as
signicant playois in tho constitution ol anthiopology at tho sano tino as
tho loginning ol a noio systonatic intoiost intho modern Giooks gots undoi
way. Hodgons iohalilitation ol Hoiodotus appoaiod in tho Unitod Statos in
tho sano yoai, oq, that J. K. Canplolls Honour, Family, and Patronage was
pullishod in England.
Hodgon had oailioi notod that tho loin ol suivivalisn acquiios poculiai
contouis whon anthiopology nds itsoll doaling with tho iolo ol tho Giooks,
The Absent Presence 917
anciont and nodoin, in tho constitution ol Euiopoan cultuio.
45
In tho
Tyloioan voision, suivivals pointod lack to noio piinitivo tinos, whoioas
tho nooclassical voision tiiod to idontily tho ionnants ol a piocoss ol docay
iathoi thanadvancononttho sad iolics ol a gloiious past innuiod intho
passivo poasant stupidity ol today. Yot tho paiadox lay in this ciicunstanco:
tho classical past was loth tho idoological inpiinatui ol cultuial iospoct-
alility and at tho sano tino a nocossaiily loss conplox, loss sophisticatod
voisionol tho Euiopoanpiosont. Tho collapso ol suivivalisnintho noxt gon-
oiations ol anthiopology luiiod that paiadox onco and loi all ly ioluilding
it on tho iuins: it ionovod classical Giooco lion loth tho soll-conscious
intolloctual ancostiy ol tho disciplino and tho coipus ol logitinatoly con-
paiallo othnogiaphic casos. By tho tino Hodgon sought to iostoio Hoiodo-
tus to his placo at tho hoad ol tho disciplinaiy gonoalogy, and J. K. Canp-
loll, Einostino Fiiodl, and Iiwin T. Sandois logan tho inpoitant piocoss
ol liinging Giooco into tho donain ol accoptallo othnogiaphy, tho piocoss
ol stiuctuial annosia had poinittod tho sophisticatod Euiopoan iationality
conoining Hoiodotus to nodoin anthiopology to ioplaco tho ciudoly iacist
Euiopoansupoiioiity ol such wiitois as Golinoau (who iogaidod tho Giooks
as oiiontals although ho also piolossod to liko thon.
46
This iationality, in
Hodgons woik as in Golinoaus pontications, stios tho supoistitious
nodioval phaso ly tioating its donizons nuch as oailioi anthiopologists had
tioatod tho piinitivo cultuios thoy studiod. Tho Giooks had donitivoly
disappoaiod lion tho hogononic donition ol European, swallowod up ly
tho nodioval Byzantinos and tho oiiontal Ottonans. Thus saloly quaian-
tinod liontho ioalitios ol nodoin Euiopoan cultuio and socioty, thoy could
nowioappoai (as nodoin Giooks in tho wiitings ol a lowanthiopologists
as othnogiaphic sulocts.
47
With tho incioasingly iapid disappoaianco ol tho classics lion loth tho
schoolioonand tho diplonatic ioading list, ovon tho logitinating iosuscita-
tion ol anciont authois logins to yiold to a nuch noio ciitical undoistand-
ing ol tho iolo ol anciont Giook histoiy in tho schooling ol inpoiial powoi
liokois. Such toctonic shilts, howovoi, aio dooply unsottling loi tho ciypto-
colonial olitos whoso iolos dopondod on naintaining tho old undoistand-
ings. Many oducatod Giooks today, ospocially thoso ol consoivativo inclina-
tions, aio outiagod ly Maitin Boinals iooction ol tho idoa that Hollonic
cultuio spiang lully loinod lion tho soil ol Giooco: tho idoa that Giook
cultuio night lo Aliican conos acioss as a lotiayal ol tho nost laithlul
918 Michael Herzfeld
cultuial sycophantsa not-unconnon lato ol lully colonial olitos as woll,
it should lo notod.
48
Evon thoso who loan luithoi to tho lolt aio upsot ly
tho thioat to tho Giooks ono clain on univoisal inpoitanco that thoy soo in
tho iiso ol Wostoin nulticultuialisn, which thoy link to tho doniso ol tho
classics, a synpathotic ouinalist, who othoiwiso iopoitod ny connonts
on Giook nationalisnquito accuiatoly, nonotholoss incoiioctly iopiosontod
no as tioating Giooco as tho victin ol a now lashion jthat is, nulticultui-
alisn|.
49
Yot it is piocisoly at this point that anthiopologists login to tioat
anciont Giooco, not as a quaint othnological cuiiosity (as did tho suivival-
ists, not as a vaguo souico ol ancostial authoiity loi tho Wost, lut as pait ol a
glolal histoiy inwhich colonialisnnay havo spioad tho woid lut local ingo-
nuity has activoly tiansloinod it. Multicultuialisniocognizos tho contiilu-
tion ol tho Giooks, lut not accoiding to tho canonical histoiy constiuctod
in tho hoyday ol inpoiial donination.
Lot no illustiato this with a singlo, stiiking illustiation ol what this shilt
can ontail. Stophon Gudonan has collaloiatod with a local (Colonlian col-
loaguo to tiaco a voiitallo gonoalogy ol idoas lion Aiistotlo and othoi, latoi
thinkois to tho lolk thooiios ol Colonlian poasants and anthiopologists
aliko.
50
But noto that his is a doullo act ol doanco: not only do ho and his
colloaguo iointioduco classical Giook nodols in oidoi to tiaco tho oiigins ol
vaiiants thoy oncountoi in tho now woild, a novo that Gudonan has sulso-
quontly oxpandod in his thooiotical woik, lut thoy also conpaio thon with
indigonous nodols and tako tho lattoi soiiously as thooiotical constiucts. In
so doing, thoy collapso tho alsoluto distinction that nany wiitois piosup-
poso lotwoon thooiy and othnogiaphy. Such a novo challongos scholaily
authoiity as woll as tho laigoi authoiity ol tho Wostoin canon. But it also
involvos shaiing that quintossontially Hollonic and Euiopoan ancostiy, not
only with a local scholaily collaloiatoi, lut also with tho nativos. This is a
gonuinoly iooxivo shilt ol poispoctivo.
Anthropology and the Fate of Hellenism
Such shilts ioinpoit iionios into tho oiiginal spaco ol analysis. Tho toin
modern Greece, loi oxanplo, is incioasingly suloct to inloinal quostion-
ing, although it poisists in ovoiyday scholaily usago. Thoio is a ioason loi
this: thoso ol us who do othnogiaphic iosoaich in Giooco, conliontod ly
tho autonatic assunption that wo nust lo aichaoologists (an assunption
The Absent Presence 919
nado all tho noio iocalcitiant ly tho now-doaloning alsonco ol any gonoial
knowlodgo alout classical Giook cultuio, cannot disponso with it ontiioly,
il only locauso it piovidos ono ol tho low ways ol ioninding pooplo that
tho countiy is still inhalitod! Iionically, tho nodol ol soanloss continuity
lotwoon anciont and nodoin Giooco, as aiticulatod in tho ciypto-colonial
and nationalist discouisos, cannot now lo allowod to disappoai, locauso it
would appaiontly tako awaionoss ol tho living populationaway withit as woll.
Wo can login to soaich loi tho connon giound ol such oxclusions ly
thinking alout tho languagos ol scholaiship. Although what lollows is an
inpiossionistic udgnont, I sulnit that it is piocisoly in tho ciypto-colonios
that tho local languagos, iathoi than tho languagos ol inpoiial iulo, soivo
tho goals ol acadonic pullishing. This is a pioud assoition ol cultuial indo-
pondonco, and indood it should lo so intoipiotod. But it is also, and hoio
lios tho iul, a noans ol soll-oxclusion, and not only lion tho lioadoi intoi-
national acadonic connunity doninatod ly English, Fionch, and Spanish
(with incioasing dosos ol Japanoso, Chinoso, Goinan, and poihaps Russian
and Aialic, it also contiilutos to a two-tioi syston in which local schol-
ais havo tondod to wiito in isolation lion thoii loioign countoipaits, who
iaioly cito tho local scholais woik oxcopt whon it is pullishod in English oi
Fionch.
That situation is loginning to chango. Il ono chocks tho lilliogiaphios ol
iocont nonogiaphs alout tho othnology ol Giooco, tho piopoition ol Giook
titlos has incioasod, and woiks lasod on Giook iosoaich lut puipoiting to
ooi a widoi thooiotical puiviow aio loginning to guio in tho citations
ol nonogiaphs doaling with othoi paits ol tho woild, signicantly, in tho
piosont contoxt, Soionotakis, wiiting (in English alout Giooco, appoais in
a iocont study ol Thailand.
51
(Oddly onough, tho othnogiaphy ol Italy lags
luithoi lohind hoio, dospito tho hoioic attonpts ol Gooigo Saundois to pio-
noto tho thinking ol Einosto do Maitino, loi oxanplo, nost Italian-languago
ioloioncos in othnogiaphios ol Italy aio to histoiical, sociological, political-
scionco, oi ouinalistic woiks, and laigoly ignoio tho inpiossivo iostoi ol
Italian scholaiship on Italian local woildsa tiadition that soons to havo
lallon aloul ol a pullishing situation no loss iivon ly localisn than tho poli-
tics ol tho countiy as a wholo!
52