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Introduction
The Barruf Experience
Sam Janssen
Editor of this Issue
2007 (1) First review by Sam Janssen. Second review by Marc Vanlangendonck.
Welcome to the first edition of Omertaa, the journal for applied anthropology. This journal has arisen out of the interests of a few academics primarily, although not exclusively, in Belgium. One of their main objectives was, and is, to bring the knowledge and craftmanship of social and cultural anthropology back where it should come from: the field. Putting into practice this objective for our first edition, we brought a group of young anthropologists into that field.
In summer of 2006 we set up an anthropological program in Gozo, the sister island of Malta (Europe). With our advisory board we selected eight promissing researchers from different universities, and guided them on an intensive three week anthropological expedition. Their aim was to each find a topic that lured their academic focus and to explore this in a vigorous academic, but close-to-the-bone manner. Results of their research are presented in this first volume of Omertaa. The purpose of their research was not merely to conclude the different subjects, but to open them up for discussion and further research that could be made valuable for society.
In this context they explored through narratives the reality of being an anthropologist in the field. Lonely walks, difficult confrontations and nice interactions versus shared experiences late at night. And then again, next morning: lonely walks ... This is what it takes to grasp "culture", merely to be able to disband its whole concept. The Barruf situation as we experienced it was a great help in taking this step.
The Barruf is a piece of "culture" we brought to Gozo ourselves. Not on purpose though: the Barruf is a cultural form that emerged from numerous uncontrolable interactions, tensions and conflicts between us, eachother, the landscape, our and their history, between the self and the staged self ... To be aware of this uncontrolable emerging process is to be aware of oneself and his or her place in the world. Furthermore when trying to understand this reality one is obliged to work from the inside out: to understand the system from within. Starting from within the 'self', for the anthropologist does not approach the field, he throws himself in the field. Not with great caution, but with modest self-awareness and decisive humility.
In this edition the concept of "the Omerta" is interpreted in this way: explaining to the outside world or scientifically analyzing what "the Barruf experience" was, is endangering for the simple reality of the Barruf. The Barruf here stands for that what is not questioned: the fact that people interact.
These interactions sometimes lead to valuable research for which i want to thank the authors in this issue.
Sam Janssen, January 2007.
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