Final answer:
The approach in cultural anthropology that focuses on what local people think or say is called the emic perspective. It stands opposite to the etic perspective, which is an outsider's view that may introduce bias. Employing an emic perspective allows the anthropologist to appreciate each culture's unique context and minimizes the inherent risk of cultural misinterpretation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The approach in cultural anthropology that focuses on what local people think or say is known as the emic perspective.
This approach aims to understand the insider's point of view and strives to interpret behaviors, beliefs, and practices from within the cultural context in which they occur.
The opposing perspective known as etic perspective involves an outsider’s point of view, often carrying the risk of ethnocentrism, which is the evaluation of another culture according to the standards of one’s own culture.
To produce effective and unbiased research, anthropologists must adopt an emic perspective to appreciate the unique qualities of the culture they are studying.
This helps to avoid the inherent bias that might come from an etic perspective and ethnocentrism and promotes a wider system of understanding across diverse cultures.
It is also essential for anthropologists to consider the plurality of viewpoints within any culture, consulting various informants and taking into account different genders, ages, and societal roles to gather comprehensive insights.
Feminist anthropology and the work of early female anthropologists like Zora Neale Hurston and Margaret Mead illustrate partially early challenges and the evolution of incorporating multiple perspectives in ethnographic research.
Additionally, terms like cultural relativism and enculturation are key concepts emphasizing the notion that cultures can only be fully understood on their terms, not by comparison to others.
The complete question is: The approach in cultural anthropology that focuses on what local people think or say is called emic____-