Anthropology? What can you do with that? You can only teach or do research, right?
These are questions that many anthropologists, myself
included, are confronted with on a regular basis. While these questions used to fill me with
anxiety and dread at attempting to answer, I have learned that there is great
utility in taking anthropology courses and having an anthropology degree that go
beyond the classroom, teaching, and research.
Today’s post is one of what will hopefully be a series of posts that focus
on anthropologists working within the applied
anthropology subdiscipline. Applied anthropology is the application
of anthropological theory and methods to identify and solve real life problems
and situations that anthropologists confront within the course of their
work. There are countless applied
anthropological fields, including but not limited to medical anthropology,
visual anthropology, and business anthropology, but today I want to discuss the
work of one anthropologist who took his anthropological training in a very
unique direction: documentary film making.
 |
| Sam Dunn, Documentary Film Maker & Anthropologist (Picture Credit: George Pimentel, Picture Source: IMDB) |
Sam Dunn is the director and producer of a series of
documentaries that focus on heavy metal culture, including Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, Global Metal, and Metal Revolution; cofounder (along with Scot
McFayden) of Bangers Films, Inc.; and
an anthropologist. Sam Dunn’s
fascination with heavy metal began as a teenager, but his interests in
anthropology were captured during his undergraduate when he realized the value of
anthropology in understanding people, cultures, and the world around him. Dunn eventually pursued a Masters degree in
Anthropology from York University in Toronto, Canada, where he focused his
research on Guatemalan refugees. It was
during this time that he decided to write a book on heavy metal, but he was
convinced by Scot McFayden to instead create a documentary on the film, which
eventually became Metal: A Headbanger’s
Journey. Their original plans for
the film were to make it a typical film documentary on the music genre, but Sam
Dunn’s anthropological background influenced the story of the film, making it
more about his personal journey exploring heavy metal culture. In this film, Sam Dunn interviewed not only
notable heavy metal musicians but also fans from across the globe, exploring
the music genre and the identity associated with the musicians and fans that
make up the heavy metal culture. The film
gave rise to further explorations into heavy metal culture with the sophomore
film Global Metal, a film that
explored the processes of globalization and heavy metal among citizens around
the world.
Sam Dunn’s anthropological background is evident in his films. His ability to go beyond the obvious
questions and delve deeper into the subject matter, exploring issues of identity,
globalization, race, sex, and more, are all evidence of his anthropological
training. This training and addition of
anthropology into his documentary films breathes new life into a music genre
that is poorly understood (and often misunderstood, as Sam Dunn points out) and
makes the subject matter interesting and accessible to a wide audience. While Sam Dunn’s approach to applied
anthropology is untraditional it is providing a marginalized group (heavy metal
fans) a voice that they did not previously have and also offers them a sense of
community many of them, such as Sam Dunn himself, were not previously aware
of. Furthermore, he demonstrates that
anthropological training can and is useful in other pursuits, not just academic
ones.
Resources:
https://www.facebook.com/BangerFilms
http://www.bangerfilms.com/
http://heavymetal.about.com/od/interviews/a/dunnmcfayden.htm
36 comments:
I knew that the focus of documentary film makers was to bring something into the light, that may have been previously overlooked or misunderstood. What I didn't realize was that Anthropology was a foundation. Documentaries, such as "Super Size Me" from Morgan Spurlock, have also taken an unconventional approach. Through personal research Spurlock was able illustrate how our culture has changed as a result of the fast food empires. In doing so, correlations can be drawn to the effects of that change; obesity, depression and a number of other ailments. An unconventional approach is perhaps what is needed to bring the picture into focus.
For a student only beginning to study anthropology, this article is informative, interesting, and completely inspiring. When thinking of anthropology in general terms, it seems like an important subject to study, but not necessarily one that offers much in the way of a young man's idea of a fun career path when his greatest passions are producing music and snowboarding. However, when you put it into a perspective such as you have here, it's a complete game changer. I'm now thinking, "Wow, you mean I can actually make a career of something I love to do?" Granted, my anthropological studies are minimal at this point, however, until reading this, I hadn't considered snowboarding as a culture. You have given me great hope for redefining "work" to my very traditional family who had me convinced that my "extra curricular" passions could only be enjoyed during the leisure time earned through hard "work." To think that I could actually pursue a successful career as an Anthropologist who studies the culture of snowboarding, or music producing, is an extremely fulfilling thought. One which then leads to the realization of endless possibilities where ethnography is concerned. I can't think of anything more exciting than to research a culture of interest through observation while actively participating. I think you just revealed a great life strategy here: rather than making your work enjoyable, make what you enjoy your work!
- Michael Weir
I warned you that I'd convert you yet. You are correct, though. Anthropology is a very dynamic field that touches on many different areas of the world and such. Pretty much anything and anywhere where you'll find people you can and will find anthropologists. This is just a few of the projects that graduate students were working on when I was in graduate school: One students studied World of Warcraft (WoW) players, which meant that she spent all her free time playing WoW and interacting with players (in addition to actual interviews with players she knew and/or were local) for the purpose of clarifying minority representations in the game; another graduate student hung out in the "gay district" of Toronto, Ontario, taking, drinking coffee, and hanging out with homosexuals in order to understand issues of identity among the community members, which also morphed into a side project on language; a fellow PhD student got to attend Comic Cons and Anime Cons all around the world in her study of anime cosplay, identity, relations, etc. These all fall under the umbrella of "nontraditional" anthropological studies for outsiders, but these studies are becoming mainstream among contemporary anthropologists, many of whom still do undertake "traditional" fieldwork overseas.
Personally, every once in awhile I kick myself for not going into sociocultural anthropology because I always think to myself, "I could be studying my friends right now!" With that, however, you have to remember to stay extra objective and recognize that unnaturalness of the culture around you, particularly as you have to work extra hard to be an outsider when you're definitely an insider. To get a sense of what I mean, you may want to tackle snowboarding in the second assignment on focal language. Details are on Canvas and in the syllabus, and you can see some of my challenges in the video on focal language that I did.
This is very interesting seeing as I am both an aspiring filmmaker and a heavy metal fan. It's cool to know that as an anthropologist or someone who has education in anthropology you can can use your knowledge to pursue other careers like a documentary filmmaker, it definitely makes me more excited to take this class and learn more about anthropology and understanding people.
I also thought when I first took anthropology that it was only the study of bones. Boy was I wrong. It has been very interesting learning others cultures and I sometimes take a part of their culture and add it to my life because it just makes plain sense. I am very excited about learning more about different cultures around the world.
If you like that, then you'll be interested to know that Greg Graffin, frontman of Bad Religion, also majored in Anthropology before ultimately getting his PhD in Zoology. :)
How amazing is it that Sam Dunn realized how much anthropology has to do with everything. Culture is everywhere now due to the ability of immigration and people wanting a better life for themselves and their children. North America is now becoming a melting pot of all different cultures and amazing rituals, beliefs, and wonderful foods. Writing songs and knowing different cultures would really be helpful in recording due to the different sounds different cultures make with the use of coconut shells, and beans from different vegetables valerie gill
You weren't kidding! I was addicted to StarCraft throughout middle and high school. I sure wish I knew back then what I know now. I could have told my mom that I was studying anthropology whenever she came into my room, after calling me to dinner several times, and unplugged my computer from the wall! Now I'm thinking of all the different customs that sparked my curiosity while growing up, such as Hanukkah. I was always so jealous that my Jewish friends got 8 days of presents in December, when I only got some on the 25th. I still don't know the true reason for this practice, which is another example of how lasting opinions can be formed based purely on the surface perspective. I can only imagine how different our world would be if we all sought to understand one another and our reasons for doing what we do.
On a different note, I wanted to add another comment in regard to the article here on Sam Dunn's work. It seems an interesting coincidence that I actually wrote a research paper, for Abnormal Psychology only a few weeks ago, with a strong emphasis on Heavy Metal music. I wonder if Mr. Dunn came across anything throughout his qualitative research that might further support the results of my quantitative research. My paper was in response to a psychology journal article written by researchers who ultimately concluded that young adults who listen to music for self-determined reasons will live a happier life. I challenged those findings based on the hypothesis that for all of the studies to support music listening as linked to happiness, music may also trigger negative emotions in people, and possibly result in a a link between music listening and suicide. Please don't get me wrong here, I was not out to condemn music or equate it with the 'devil.' I'm an aspiring producer and I am strongly opposed to any artistic censorship. I only thought it appropriate that possible negative correlations between music and human emotion be explored since the positive correlations were confirmed through a study with obvious limitations. Through my research I learned that 75% of females prefer "pop" music, while males prefer Heavy Metal/Rock music by over 70%. Studies also confirmed a significant correlation between a "preference" for metal/rock music and suicidal tendencies, drug use, and dysfunctional interpersonal relationships. However, It was further confirmed that those who felt the most negative after self-determined music listening appeared to distinguish the most disturbed group of people. It was ultimately concluded that adolescent girls, who prefer heavy metal/rock music, feel worse after self-determined music listening, which indicated their vulnerability to suicidal thoughts and actions. However, it should be noted here that statistics also show that 90% of all suicide victims suffer from either diagnosed or undiagnosed, treatable mental illnesses. There were many other studies I came across, such as those which indicated a correlation between Country music listening and suicide, but in keeping with the article here, I really wanted to find out if Mr. Dunn, during his personal exploration of the Heavy Metal culture, came across any evidence that would either support or invalidate any the above findings. It was my amateur conclusion that, based on my research and personal experience, there are too many significant "underlying factors to hold the tunes entirely accountable" (Weir, Michael, "Suicidal Beat" 06.05.14). There is a works cited page at the end of my research paper which includes the many sources I used in finding the statistics I listed here. I would be happy to share my entire paper with whomever may be interested in further information regarding the topic.
~ Michael Weir
Very insightful comment, Michael/Darren. A friend of mine was reading this with me last night and was very impressed. Keep up the good work.
But I did want to comment on the other content, as well. Hanukkah does have a specific religious story behind it, much like Christians with Easter. I vaguely remember it from learning about it as a kid, but it something that you may want to look into for your extra credit assignment. Reno does have a substantial Jewish population, and I think I may know someone who is Jewish if you need someone to interview. I say think only because I just met him through the gaming group I'm in, and certain topics such as religion and politics don't really come up during Viticulture or Arkham.
As for Mr. Dunn's work, he has come out with several documentaries, and I know for at least the first one that he wanted to tackle topics related to sex and gender (but wasn't able to fully due to a miscommunication with a potential interviewee). You could watch his other documentaries or contact him. I make no guarantees that he'll write back, but he has noted that the comments that he receives from fans do influence his future work.
Valerie, culture has existed amongst human societies for generations. The concept that you refer to when you say: "Culture is everywhere now due to the ability of immigration..." is globalization, which is the topic of chapter 13. Unfortunately, due to time we won't be discussing that chapter, but you can always read it at your leisure.
I watched this film when I was in High School a couple years after it was released. I went through a little bit of a headbanger phase. The thing that appealed most to me about it was the fact that i myself could relate to Sam on a more personal level. The roots of why people associated with all of the genre's and sub-genre's of metal seemed to be very similar. Each person had their own unique life experiences that lead them to sympathize with the overall philosophy of metal. They all shared the same burning desire to be different and outcast themselves from what was considered to be regular society.
Which actually inspired additional films by Dunn, including Global Metal, which focuses on the cross cultural consumption patterns of heavy metal. I haven't seen it yet but it's definitely one that I plan to when I have a moment.
Had no idea Global Metal was out there. I will definitely be adding that to my watch list. Headbangers are a distinct bunch, multiple piercings, distinct tattoo styes, and the general I don't care attitude. They all try to be symbols of Metal music by embracing all of these characteristics. Currently being employed as a personal trainer I am now looking at all of the gym culture. Interesting bunch. A good film to watch that is a good representation of the gym culture is Pumping Iron. If you ever want to understand why all of those guys stare at themselves in the mirror at the gym so much it will give you a good idea. HAHA :)
I have a friend who is a body builder. I need no movie to understand why he (and the community/culture) do the things they do. :) But thanks for the tip for those who are not in the know.
I love that Mr. Dunn was able to take his anthropology degree and use it to delve deeper into something he already loved. I've often wondered about the fans of my favorite music, country. I'm sure I would learn some very interesting stories and backgrounds. I'm more interested in taking what I learn studying anthropology and putting it to use learning more about why people choose the religions they do (meaning people who convert to a religion later in life, not one they were raised into). On a side note, Sam Dunn looks almost exactly my my uncle and I had to do a double take when I saw his picture.
I have never been into heavy metal music, but it is very interesting how Dunn uses his degree to go more in depth. Instead of just doing another documentary of someone or something, he chose to go deeper. I like it, I need to find this and watch it, I may change my mind about heavy metal, who knows. haha.
I really think when you document a subculture, it's important to delve deep into it so people can really see what this subculture is about instead of just misunderstanding because the director isn't apart of the subculture anymore than the person viewing it might be. I think using anthropology this way is effective because, you aren't just an outsider looking in and be done with it, but you're studying them and thinking how it's a global thing. Heavy metal is global and most people just think it's all white guys with long hair but it really is everywhere and people don't really see it that way.
When I first started ANTH 101, I quickly learned that anthropology, and more specifically ethnography, would lend itself quite well to documentary film making, and the example seen here with Sam Dunn’s foray into heavy metal documentary film making is no exception. I believe that without his background in anthropology, the documentary would have either a) never been made or b) would not have focused so much on the culture of the musical genre. It is likely that he would have been just another face in the crowd, as opposed to a thoughtful entrepreneur of the subject.
That being said, I don’t know very much about heavy metal. Sure, I’ve listened to my share of Metallica and Pantera, a bit of Megadeth and several other crossover mainstream metal acts (I did grow up in Wisconsin folks), but I never felt like I really identified with the heavy metal culture. Reading this post now has sparked my interest to learn more about the genre’s associated culture, and after writing this I’m headed over to Netflix to see if I might be able to queue up one or more of his films. Way to go Sam!
Michelle Cooper
Since I didn't know much about anthropology before I took this class, I enjoyed reading this post because it showed me what kind of things people can do with an anthropology degree. I think studying different cultures can make a lot of difference when trying to take care of population, economic, and political problems. Marketers can also use the study of culture to target a certain audience to try to get them to buy their product.
I am addicted to documentaries. I've always been a research junkie. I can't stand when dubious information is presented as fact. Not to go off on a tangent, but I spent hours researching immunizations for my daughter, especially the diseases themselves. My friend in high school and I used to joke that no one else we know would be messing around during class time reading non-class-relevant material. That said, I am once again being presented with a way to express my personality through anthropology. Some documentaries are relatively shallow: they present relevant subject matter in a clean and clear fashion, but do not delve so deeply into the details and cultural relevancy as Mr Dunn clearly did. I wasn't able to find the films on Netflix, but will definitely keep an eye out. Another good example of a refreshing and unexpected anthropology degree.
Jessica Elms
Summer Session 2014 Second Term
You can catch them sometimes on Bravo, MTV, or VH1. I think there are also sections of them on Youtube. I was trying to find the intro clip to his first documentary for this post via youtube because he talks about how he went from anthropology to filming rock documentaries in that clip, but alas, I couldn't find it.
Now this is definitely a very cool way to apply anthropology! I never thought about how handy it would be to have a background in anthropology for documentary film making.
Sarah Howard Anth 102-1002
I think everyone should take take cultural anthropology as part of their undergraduate education. It changes they way one thinks about race and ethnicity, global cultural practices and values, and gives the student a more expanded view of the world. Along with critical thinking skills, anthropology is a good base for any career. It is interesting how Sam Dunn took his anthropological background and applied to his love of heavy metal music.
Courteney Hedicke, Anth 101
Thank you for another example of how to actually use an anthropology degree. As I mentioned to you in class, my son is looking into studying anthropology and I have been hesitant to encourage him due to the misconception that you listed above: that he could teach or do research. This blog and your class, have helped to open my eyes to the many options he would have, and given me an insight on why he is so interested in the field.
Katherine Smailes
Anthropology 101 Summer 2015
Another great way anthropology is a worldwide subject. Anthropology degree seekers even end up making movie about things they love because they know about the subject and can apply aspects of different cultures into their work. Sam's love of metal music and degree allowed him to make movie about the history of metal and its people.
Zachary Forrester
anthro 101 3001 summer
Mr. Dunn has that rare ability to "think outside the box". He was able to combine many of his loves into a career.
What a wonderful use of his talents. Since the advent of Netflix all of us interested in anthropology have been so lucky. I love all of the documentaries we can easily access now. I'm interested in his work and hope it's on Netflix. I watched a doc on the followers of the Insane Clown Posse recently. Really interesting and thought provoking. Who'd a thunk it?.
The fact that he took such a different approach to anthropology really opens my mind to what you can do with an anthropology background. I personally love metal music so this really draws my attention to the many documentaries that have an anthropology quality to them.
What a wonderful example of the power of education mixed with a very creative brain! It is so true that heavy metal fans and bands are a marginalized group. I never thought of it that way before! The possibilities with this major are clearly very wide reaching.
As the mother of a trans son, this makes me want to contact him to see if he could make another documentary on another highly marginalized and hated group, the Trans community. There are so many groups of people who are marginalized, feared and hated in society based on differences that, when fully explored, are really not very important. Our ideas of race, religion, right, wrong and acceptable create such strong biases and most people do not even know they carry them around. Those knee jerk reactions to a teen with a heavy metal band name on his shirt are very real and they have negative consequences not just for the teen, but for the adult with the negative reactions. It is hard to grow when we are not stretching ourselves and questioning our assumptions.
I believe there are documentaries on that topic out there, although none done by Dunn.
This article is very motivational. Being creative and following the route your mind leads you to can become great success. One phrase I liked a lot was that anthropological training can and is useful in other pursuits, not just academic ones.
This is a cool way to apply anthropology into a situation, who would've thought that Heavy Metal artist like Mr.Dunn had a degree in Anthropology? Very cool & interesting read.
-Monique McAllister
I am familiar with Sam Dunn because I watched him in class. It was nice to have information about his background. I appreciate how he represents a different category through anthropology rather than just native cultures.
While reading up on Sam Dunn, I think its cool that he took a different way of getting peoples attention into anthropology.Also it benefits himself and everyone who pays attention because you get to learn so much more than just "bones". Iv'e learned that All cultures play a big part in anthropology.
-Jasmine Busby
I loved that Sam Dunn kind of know what he wanted to do when he was younger or he had an idea for it, but it is crazy how a little film can do so much to you. I know he worked hard for it.
-Jaden Clark
Post a Comment