I am typing this in a Starbucks located within Chapters. Throughout my time at school I have assumed that everyone else has been on a similar page as me. I figured that the amount of schooling did not matter, as long as a conceptual basis was formed. This conceptual basis is created by living. I thought that two people, if they grow up in a similar location, can have a semi-intelligible conversation about things and not generally fall out of sync. My view of this was altered about four minutes ago when I learned that the world of pop-literature is generally unaware of things that are happening in my world of Cultural Anthropology. I came to this conclusion after finding the remote corner where Anthropology books are sold in this store.

For those of you who do not know what Chapters is, the best description that I can come up with is “book-megastore.” Chapters, a Canadian (and now I believe American owned) made company has become a staple in every small and large town that I have ever been to in British Columbia. Usually teamed up with an independently run Starbucks, Chapters is the place to be if you are in to reading. The selection of books at this store is phenomenal; everything from “New Age” mumbo jumbo to intriguing Physics publications are sold here.

In all honesty, I did not think that Chapters had an Anthropology section. In fact the way I chanced upon it was by asking a clerk whom I have seen working here ever since I can remember. I went up to the man, got his attention and asked: “Hi, uhh, I’m pretty sure this is not the case, but would you guys happen to have an Anthropology section?”

“Yes! Yes we do,” he replied enthusiastically, “it’s just over here.”

“Of course there are only about seven books in total,” He told me led me out of the science fiction section, past the magazine section at the other end of the store and through the bargain books section. “It’s right here, in the history section”

I snickered at this “History?” I asked with a sarcastic tone.

“Yes, history, right beside the cultural studies section,” which was also located under the huge label “HISTORY” in the far corner of the store.

I was beginning to understand what was happening. This man probably thought I was talking about the traditional definition of Anthropology! I am so used to just saying that I am an “Anthropology” student because the other forms of anthropology are usually titled as their own names where I go to school. Anthropology means “Socio/Cultural Anthropology” while you would add a word like “physical” if you were talking about Physical Anthropology and Archaeology is just known as Archaeology, and regarded as almost completely separate from Anthropology. In Simon Fraser University, Sociology and Anthropology are the same department, but Archaeology and the rest are different ones. Of course this is probably not that apparent to a man who has been working in a book store for as long as I can remember.

The clerk began to list off the different sections, “and here is Anthropology!” he exclaimed. The Anthropology subsection was located right beside the Queer Studies subsection which was right beside the Black Studies subsection.

“Oh!” I said to the man, “So the Anthropology section isn’t that shabby” as I browsed through the books in the “community and culture” subsection.

“No,” he said, as if I couldn’t read the label I was standing under, “Anthropology is only right here; that’s community and culture.”

I stared at him for a brief moment of indecision. What was I to do? Should I laugh (because he might be a sarcastic mastermind) or should I just look where he was telling me to look?

Shortly after my small chortle of “oh yes haha,” the clerk walked away to organize some other books in the Bargain section.

This man could not have known that I was referring to cultural anthropology when I asked him where the Anthropology section was. That is not the issue here however. The issue is that “community and culture” has segregated itself from “Anthropology.” He also told me that the Sociology section was in the same place as cultural studies. However, I failed locate one Sociology book so I think that they must have been sold out of those.

My dad used to always tell me about the alienation he suffered while going to school. He used to tell me about how he could not discuss things that interested him with non-school goers after a little while because his head went into outer space (he was in Psychology and Geology by the way). Maybe this is happening to me. I almost wanted to go up to that man and lecture him on what anthropology is! But I couldn’t do that of course.

A social dichotomy was created between that man and his wall of “HISTORY” and me. Anyone I know in anthropology would also chortle at my story, but there is a sad statement within this experience that I’m still exploring and unhappy about.

The part of this little incident that bugged me was that Cultural Anthropology is supposed to be a study of culture but it has played a part in alienating me from my own. I feel disjointed and out of place (though I think maybe I have always felt that way, just not on this level) in an area that I was sure that I had basically figured out.

And so the quest for understanding continues. I know now that spending all of my time up in the clouds (literally, if you don’t believe me look at photos of SFU) has caused me to become different from all the people who are on earth. And only after three years.