Anthropology Analysis of "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" Essay
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The author’s purpose in writing this article was not to show the “Nacirema” as an example of how extreme human behavior can become, but how an outside perspective can affect your perception of an alien culture. If one were to look at the “Nacirema’s” cultural behaviors regarding physical appearance and health without any insight or knowledge of the specific beliefs or values of that culture, they might seem bizarre and even incomprehensible. By showing behaviors and “rituals” performed by this unknown tribe, Miner allowed others to see that the way studies were representing distinctive cultures was narrowminded and defective. Without the proper comprehension of the basis of any society, huge cultural misunderstandings could occur. Of…show more content… Miner’s article presents numerous anthropological concepts including culture, social behaviors, symbols, material culture and holism. While providing us with a synchronic view of an unexplored culture, Miner tackles the principle mindset that governs the “Nacirema’s” social customs and “rituals”, looks at key symbols and material possessions as the focus of the culture, and highlights the importance of studying a culture in its entirety to gain a full and accurate understanding. The psychology of the “Nacirema” people is one of malcontent. There seems to be a general dissatisfaction with one’s body and this inescapable attitude reaches into almost every aspect of their lives. The psychology of the “Nacirema” people is one of malcontent. There seems to be a general dissatisfaction with one’s body and this inescapable attitude reaches into almost every aspect of their lives. The “Nacirema” seem to necessitate unhappiness and even pain. They voluntarily allow “holy-moth-men” to subject them to torturous practices meant to postpone the inevitable decay of their mouths, pay “herbalists” to provide them with “potions” and “charms” expected to improve their health and consent to “medicine men” poking them with needles and performing life-threatening procedures all in the name of beauty and driven by the fundamental mentality that the body is ugly. Miner uses cultural materialism to explore and explain different
Introduction
Cultural relativism is a certain perspective, which was adopted by the anthropologists in the course of the early years of 1900’s. Cultural relativism basically states that every culture is equal to any other culture and all cultures are legitimate expressions of the human spirit. In accordance to the specifications of cultural relativism, people are expected to attempt to gain an understanding of the other culture by basically viewing them through their individual “cultural lens”.
Etic and Emic Analysis on Suicide Terrorism
Exploring different cultures as well as your own in order to understand the various ways they do things compared to our own can be enlightening as well as challenging. The main challenge comes from being used to your own culture that it is difficult to view a different culture without any personal bias. Being born and raised in a culture and getting used to those norms of everyday life contributes to the bias that one may show, believing that their
Exam Review: TERMS
Culture: The system of meanings about the nature of experience that are shared by a people and passed on from one generation to another, including the meanings that people give to things, events, activities, and people.
Ethnocentrism: The tendency to judge the beliefs and behaviours of others from the perspective of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentric Fallacy: The mistaken notion that the beliefs and behaviours of other cultures can be judged from the perspective of one’s own culture
science.
C. anthropology.
D. sociology.
Answer: D
2. Sociology
A. is the scientific study of social behavior and human groups.
B. focuses primarily on how social relationships influence people’s behavior.
C. focuses on how societies develop and change.
D. all of these
Answer: D
3. The awareness that allows people to comprehend the link between their immediate, personal social settings and the remote, impersonal social world is called
A. the sociological imagination.
B. anthropology.
C. a