Special Lecture by the Eminent Harvard Anthropologist On May 26, Professor Michael Herzfeld (Department of Anthropology, Harvard University) gave a lecture on the "Stereotypes of Asia and the West: Ethnography and the Persistence of Colonial Structures of Meaning and Power" at Baekyang Hall. An acclaimed expert of Mediterranean civilizations, he asserted that there are no such things as “Mediterranean culture” or “Asian values.” He said that there are always political intentions behind these type of concepts. For example, the term “Mediterranean nation” is mostly used by countries with low influence in Europe, but France also uses the term although it is a developed country. The use of the term by France has an intention of getting the support from the weak countries in Southern Europe. “In anthropology, everything is possible," he remarked. "Nothing is sure, and sometimes questions are more meaningful than answers.” “Corruption is recognized differently in different cultures, but it exists in every society," Professor Herzfeld added. "Corruption shows that nobody is perfect, as seen in the concept of original sin in Christian religion.” Such being the case, anthropologist "should watch who has power to commit corruption and the reason behind it, rather than find guilty on it.” According to him, corruption is a "cultural embarrassment" which also serves as a force, a mechanism of power, that integrates people. He said that there is no universal "common sense" that can be applied to every society. A critical attitude on the common sense is actually a ground for better communication between cultures. Michael Herzfeld is a Professor of Anthropology at the Harvard University, and published numerous books and articles using the ethnographic materials he collected in Greece. His book Cultural Intimacy: Social Poetics in the Nation-State (Routledge, 1997) was translated into seven different languages. He gave lectures on "States of Corruption: Bureaucracy, the Nation-State, and the Politics of Heritage" and "Lessons from a Distant Sea: Comparison, Performance" on May 28 at Daewoo Hall.