Resumen de Imagination from the Outside and from the Inside
In this paper, I consider the problems and advantages of combining the traditional subdisciplines of anthropology, especially the problem of combining studies that attempt to interpret and represent the �from the inside� point of view of a particular group of people, a practice typical of ethnography, with the more scientific approach that ultimately attempts to study our species and its evolution, inevitably �from the outside� of the particular point of view of any culture or society. I focus on imagination. Imagination �from the outside� seems a feature of human cognition, but a particular use of this capacity means that human beings can create apparently stable institutional structures. �From the inside,� the idea that the social system, which in the case considered by and large equals the kinship system, is imaginary would seem false. Yet if we look at the representations we find in rituals such as initiation or ideas about incest, we find locals� ideas not at all incommensurate with those of the scientists. Again, if we look at the scientists� understanding of what motivates people in specific places, we find that they need to imagine a �from the inside� environment.
