Question

Which of the following is true about etic and emic approaches to country analysis?

1) The etic and emic approaches are identical.
2) An emic approach studies a culture from within; etic analysis is "from the outside."
3) An emic approach studies a culture "from the outside"; etic analysis studies a culture from within.
4) The emic/etic distinction is not useful in cultural studies.
5) The emic/etic approaches cannot be applied to Asian countries.

Answer 1

The correct answer is the second option: an emic approach studies a culture from the perspective of insiders, while an etic approach analyzes from an external viewpoint. Emic and etic approaches are not identical and are useful in cultural studies, including those of Asian countries.

Step-by-step explanation:

When analyzing cultures, the emic and etic approaches provide different perspectives. The second option is correct: an emic approach studies a culture from within, seeking to understand cultural phenomena according to the meanings and interpretations given by the insiders. In contrast, an etic approach looks at culture from an external viewpoint, applying universal categories and concepts that may be used across cultures. These approaches are not identical ( 1), and the emic/etic distinction is extremely useful in cultural studies, contrary to the fourth option ( 4). Moreover, these approaches can be applied to any cultural context, including Asian countries, which invalidates the fifth statement ( 5). Emic and etic approaches allow anthropologists to minimize their bias while conducting ethnographic studies. These perspectives help researchers understand and interpret complex behaviors, practices, and traditions in different societies while making efforts to avoid ethnocentrism and embrace cultural relativism.