Relativism, revisionism, aboriginalism, and emic/etic truth: The case study of Apocalypto

Abstract

Popular film depictions of varied cultures, ranging from the Chinese, Africans, and Native Americans have repeatedly provided a variant perception of the culture. In works of fiction, this flaw cannot only provide us with entertainment, but with insights and motives in the ideological, social, or economic agendas of the authors and/or directors as well as those of the critics. Mel Gibson's Maya epic Apocalypto has provided an interesting case study depicting indigenous warfare, environmental degradation, and ritual violence, characteristics that have been derived from multidisciplinary research, ethnohistoric studies, and other historical and archaeological investigations. The film received extraordinary attention from the public, both as positive feedback and negative criticism from a wide range of observers. Thus, the elements of truth, public perception, relativism, revisionism, and emic/etic perspectives coalesced into a case where truth, fiction, and the virtues and vices of the authors and director of the film as well as those of critics were exposed. A fictional movie such as Apocalypto can provide entertainment and/or evoke moods and thoughts that usually extend beyond the normal as a work of art. In documentaries and academic publications and presentations, however, such flaws are much more serious, and provide distortions and misrepresentations of the truth that are (equally) perpetuated in literature and popular perceptions. While certain criticisms of Hollywood portrayals of varied cultures can be justified, particular academic and social agendas equally use aboriginalism, relativism, and revisionism as an attempt to distort the past and manipulate academic and social fabric. Claims of cultural or religious inequality are flawed if and when they distort truth, as best determined by multidisciplinary scientific studies, involving a full range of scientific query and investigation, ethnography, ethnohistory, and extensive methodological procedure. A solution lies in a return to the philosophical foundations of science a la Peirce, Hempel, and Haack, among others, to organize and understand an objective truth as part of the ultimate goal in anthropological research.