Introduction

Developing a sense of empathy is the only way by which a given group of people can be understood. That includes analyzing the group from its own perspective rather than from that of the researcher, and appreciating the diversity. That is what the social scientists call cultural relativism. Poverty on the other hand is endemic in many societies especially in the developing worlds. It has been said to be both physical and also being caused by poor construction of certain social institutions that serve to exploit the people. The following discussion focus on poverty and cultural relativism as identified from the two texts on research conducted in Mali and Haiti.

Certain scholars believe that poverty is natural and that nothing can be done to control it. It is considered to be a normal integral part of the society. However, focusing on the documented facts on the ‘suffering and structural violence,’ the case seems to be different. For instance, it is said that political instability has adversely affected the state of living of the citizens (Paul, 34). Due to political instability, the people who suffer most are women and children who are also said to be very essential in financial support of the family.

The fact that peasant farmers take the greatest percentage in Haiti demonstrates a sense of unequal distribution of resources. This according to Karl max is a common characteristic of capitalism and developing nations. The power, prestige and wealth are only found in the hands of the few people who also happen to be in control of the government. For instance, the research conducted by the anthropologists in Haiti shows that majority of the dwellers are landless. Bearing in mind that agriculture is one of the economic ways by which people earn their income, it is no wonder poverty has escalated.

The case of poverty in Haiti is the same as that of an African country, Mali. In her work ‘Dancing Skeletons,’ Katherine demonstrates the pathetic situation of the people living in Mali. She focused on malnutrition and health of the young children (Katherine, 3). In her study, she encountered many emaciated children with no one to take care of them. They were ill fed, and if it happened, they were only feeding on starch. Mothers had no time as it can be observed to take care of them since most of them worked as the bread winners (Katherine, 4). However, as the researcher observed, the people exposed to this kind of poverty seem to think that it is normal and tat they have little to do about it.

The issue of cultural relativity also emerges very strongly in the two texts. For instance, Katherine says that she could not change the way people of Mali went about their diets. She could only advice and shares her knowledge if she was needed to do that (Katherine, 6). This is because she was appreciating the fact that different cultures have diverse ways of doing things. What could be the norm in one culture could be considered a taboo in another. Both the Haiti and the Mali studies were based on participant observation kind of data collection, meaning that the information disseminated is from the people’s point of view.

In conclusion, poverty should not be seen as being natural and normal, but as a failure by the social structures such as government, economy and politics to take care of its people.

References

Paul, F. On the Suffering and Structural Violence. New York. Gordon and Beach. 1995

Katherin, A. Dancing Skeletons. Life and Death in west Africa. USA. 1994.