sNAPAshots: Reshama Damle

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Transcript

0:00
[On screen] NAPA Logo

Interviewer 0:03
Have you considered working with plants as a practice of anthropology? Well, get curious with sNAPAshots, conversations with professional practicing and applied anthropologists.

Reshama Damle 0:17
Turning the camera on to myself, meet me, Reshama Damle. I’m a South Asian woman with dark hair green eyes and wearing a green shirt. I am a permaculture focused urban farmer and practicing anthropologist.

Interviewer 0:32
How did you get into anthropology and what is your subfield of practice?

Reshama Damle 0:36
I initially got into anthropology thru linguistics, I went for my master’s in linguistics, many years ago. And as part of my requirements, I had to take a couple of courses that so connected with linguistic anthropology, and I just loved the discipline, being holistic, I loved that not only were we looking at a linguistic angle, the cultural, physical, and of course, the archaeological aspects of that class. And then what’s funny is that after I graduated from this program, I started meeting lots of anthropologists in places that I didn’t really expect. So I became a professional dancer in the Middle Eastern Dance community, and my teachers were dance anthropologists. And then, you know, a couple of years later, I had the good fortune of working on an international nonprofit, and met folks with an anthropology background there. And then when I got into farming, you know, that really shaped things. For me. That’s really when I got to know how different agricultural systems and how this EMIC and ETIC perspective of growing crops and the value of those crops in those particular regions, you know, that really fed into my interest of sustainability and how we do things here in the US versus how they’re done all over the world, how they’re done in India, how they’re done in, you know, in the Middle East, it was all very much felt like we were talking about anthropology. And at the time, I didn’t know, I didn’t know that I was talking about the world and what I see in anthropological terms, but there was this awareness of lots of different social groups, and they were connected in some ways and not in other ways, and where they can interact with each other based on natural resources. So it got me that really got me interested in design, and in how we make places and we value the land. So yeah, then I then I said, Gosh, I gotta, I gotta learn more. I gotta, I gotta learn more about communities in this way, people in this way, humans in this way, and then I sought out and anthropology program. So that’s really what got me in but having graduated from this training, you know, I can’t help but see anthropology everywhere. I mean, it’s, it’s in the earth. It’s in how I plant seeds. It’s in how I grow crops and where I put them and why I put them there. And there’s just so much backstory when it comes to something as simple as plants.

Interviewer 4:26
What anthropological skills to use in your field?

Reshama Damle 4:30
The anthropological skills I use in my field are definitely observation. Being a permaculture, designer and urban gardener, you know, it really is all about getting out there and looking at what’s growing, what’s in bloom, what has changed overnight, what’s changed in the last month or or in the last week, how has the environment affected my crop. And you know what other kinds of damage in terms of pests or disease or wild animals have crept through my, my space. So the number one thing I use as an anthropologist is that ability of trained observation, having done so much ethnography, and really not knowing what cues or what pieces of information are going to be most relevant, but just being able to observe and look at everything, you know, not knowing which one carries more, more weight, but looking at everything and taking note, and maybe taking note of things that kind of seem unimportant. I think that’s what we do as anthropologists, we just we take in a lot, we see more than the average person, it’s something that we’ve been trained to do to go out there. And look, oftentimes, it’s like not looking for anything in particular, but just look and see. Follow your curiosity, you know, the other thing that helps me is trying to just figure out, you know, how are things done here? That really helps me take a step back and and look at, you know, what is the…What is the mindset of cultivating this particular crop or plant in this area, in this environment, in this part of the world, versus another part of the world? Or maybe another community? Or, you know, just how do they do it in Southern California versus how do they do it in Washington, in the middle of Iowa, you know, these are the things that helped me stay connected to farming practices, and just what the value system is, in terms of what’s available, and what kind of wisdom has been passed down. These are the things that matter to me, as someone who aims to grow crops, for high yield in small spaces, in small square footage, and then just the you know belief system of nature, nature has its own way. And my job is to follow that way, to follow the way of nature and work with it, rather than work against it. Give it what, what it needs, rather than superimposing my ideas about what it should need or what my client thinks that it should need. It’s really about you know, listening to that larger force. So participating in this, you know, relationship between human and plant, in this way, I think, is kind of an extraordinary way I get to practice anthropology.

Interviewer 8:41
What advice would you like to pass on to future anthropologists seeking roles and professional fields?

Reshama Damle 8:47
So the advice I would give future anthropologists is to stay open. You never, you just never know, how you’re training as an anthropologist is going to help you in your career. Nature has thrown me lots of curveballs, and I can’t, I can’t complain to nature. I can just say, okay, the damage is done, and continue and pick up the pieces and put them back together as best as you can and ask for help. You know, be open to shifting gears, trying a new kind of industry, a new kind of job, a job you’ve never even thought about before. Because I guarantee you, anthropology is going to make its way and you have the training. You have the observational skills. You have the ethnographic skills. You have the curiosity. So be open, stay open. Stay curious.

Thank you for letting me share my experience as a permaculture farmer and practicing anthropologist for more snapshots find us here practicing anthropology.org Mehta, LinkedIn and Twitter

10:24
[On Screen] Many Thanks to NAPA’s General Council for their Support! NAPA is a section of the American Anthropological Association. Practicing Anthropology.org Directors: Reshama Damle and Suanna Crowley Producers: Cathleen Crain, Niel Tashima, Joshua Liggett 

[Outtakes] Reshama Damle 10:46
take to *boop* Ok, I’m ready…I’m ready, go and that’s a wrap

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Music by: barradeen “When she’s near me”