How did non-Western anthropologists challenge Western perspectives in anthropology?

Non-Western anthropologists have played a critical role in transforming anthropology from a discipline historically rooted in Western, and often colonial, scholarly traditions into a more global and diverse field. This shift has been driven by several key approaches:1

• Challenging Eurocentrism: Non-Western scholars have actively identified and critiqued the Eurocentric assumptions, values, and practices that previously dominated the discipline. By "decolonizing" the field, they have sought to replace these perspectives with frameworks that reflect their own intellectual traditions and local realities.23
• Independent Research Agendas: In countries like Japan, scholars developed research agendas that were largely independent of Western institutions, focusing on areas such as primatology and ethnology through their own unique lenses. Similarly, Indian anthropologists like M.N. Srinivas adapted Western theoretical frameworks, such as structural-functionalism, to provide deeper insights into locally grounded social systems.3
• Critical Reflection: Since the late 20th century, anthropologists in regions like South Korea and Taiwan have begun to reflect critically on the colonial legacies of earlier ethnographic work. This includes questioning how non-European cultures were historically categorized and represented.345
• Global Participation: The increasing number of "homegrown" anthropologists and those trained in international settings has fostered a more collaborative, global community. This has led to studies of Western societies by non-Western anthropologists, effectively reversing the traditional flow of ethnographic research.31

Ultimately, these efforts have challenged the notion that Western perspectives provide neutral or universal principles, emphasizing instead the importance of multiple modernities and diverse ways of understanding human experience.4