The Man-Eating Myth

Arens, W. The Man-Eating Myth: Anthropology and Anthropophagy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979. Print.

The Mythical World of Anthropophagy

Summary:

In this reading, the author shows how perceived acts of cannibalism have been exaggerated based on hearsay remarks. The mythical world referred to here is the world where cannibals exist. The various accounts in this story tell the stories of other people being cannibals or a certain location where they may practice such acts, but no one admits to being one or doing so themselves. There are marks of a typical cannibal story here such as the “not us, but they do” idea as previously mentioned. But these accusations likely come from other factors such as competition for land or resources and therefore cannot be taken at face value. When these accused groups were asked if they were cannibals, they would deny it and in turn point the blame back at the tribe who accused them in the first place. Another feature of a cannibal story could be based on a temporal change, such as they may have been cannibals in the past, but are not anymore. Cannibalism can be seen in different ways through the eyes of different cultures. The consumption of bread and wine by Catholics which symbolized the body and blood of Christ was thought of in the literal sense by other cultures as actually consuming body parts and flesh and blood, leading them to think that the catholic people were practitioners of cannibalism.

Analysis:

This reading showed that in most cases, or at least the ones covered here, regardless of who you are or where you live, no one embraces and admits to practicing cannibalism. In most cases it is viewed as an outrageous insult to be called a cannibal, and with just cause. Such implications of a culture can lead to them being “dehumanized” or thought of as a lower class of human because they follow such gruesome and immoral practices. This than gives others the idea that it is their responsibility to teach these lesser humans the proper way to live and gives them an excuse to attack, enslave, and perhaps annihilate them.