BUSINESS ANTHROPOLOGY, ANOMIE, AND DYSFUNCTION: TRANSCENDING THE TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY

Abstract

The impact of economic development upon ethnic and cultural diversity is discussed with reference to the concept of anomie in which socially acceptable goals can no longer be achieved in socially acceptable ways. Specific responses to anomie are explored with reference to the “tyranny of the majority”, in which people’s needs are denied after being outvoted. Strategies such as the “concurrent majority” can help the ethnic minorities protect their rights and heritage. Business anthropologists have an important role in this regard.