The Encounter Model
(a critique)
In 1992, two anthropologists, Sidney W. Mintz and Richard Price, collaborated with one another to complete and publish a book titled The Birth of African-American Culture: An Anthropological Perspective. Within this book, there is an article titled The Encounter Model, which will be the focal point of focus for this critique. The encounter model relies on the contract between European and African cultures as an underlying factor in the creation of new cultures, rather than what is thought to be the progression and adaptation of African cultures by African-Americans living in the “New World,” in which we know today as the United States of America. Through the analyzation of tone, voice, and language, Mintz’s and Price’s work aims to put into perspective their stance on what African culture really is, and what it is thought to be in both Africa and the United States.
The Encounter Model is engaging because the structure of the work is logical and coherent. Mintz and Price are efficient and successful in clarifying the situation that is hand before their work dives into its technicalities. The work’s overall structure is clear and straight to the point by first analyzing what the Encounter Model is, and secondly addressing what is wrong with this particular model. By consistently offering views from both sides, the authors leave the readers with little sense of confusion.